Music has the ability to move people the way no other force can. There is gravity and centripetal force that moves us physically, but music also moves us emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Even though music has changed over the years, it has become an outlet for all ages to express emotions more vividly. However, there are speculations and studies that suggest music can negatively affect the mind and body. Acclaimed scholars are not subjective to the many attributes of music, and thus have written articles and comments falsely accusing music of being detrimental for those who love music. Although there are some negative effects of listening to music, the benefits it has on people’s mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health outweigh the bad. Listening to music aids in the body’s mental health in numerous ways, and its effects have been noticed since before the birth of America. In a research article by HealthyChildren.org, they remark, “Music’s beneficial effects on mental health have been known for thousands of years. Ancient philosophers from Plato to Confucius and the kings of Israel sang the praises of music and used it to help soothe stress” (Healthy Children 1). Though the organization notes that music has been used throughout history to mollify stress, they go on to state, “On the other hand, every parent of a teenager knows that certain kinds of music, particularly at high volumes, can induce stress” (HealthyChildren.org 1). Nevertheless, music can
Music has been able to entertain the population for as long as it has been around. It is present in restaurants, clubs, and similar environments so that people can be entertained while enjoying time out with family and friends. Although music has a reputation of being a tool of entertainment, it also has the ability to benefit the health and mental state of the listener. Many studies have been conducted to shed light on the positive effects of music therapy and show that music is able to provide an even greater effect than the ordinary treatments alone.President of the Association for Music Therapy states that,“Active music engagement allowed the patients to reconnect with the healthy
People listen to music for a variety of reasons. Some listen to music to relax in which it serves as a sort of escape from everyday life, some because they are a fan and follow a certain artist, and others because they can relate the lyrics to their own personal experiences. Whichever the case may be, music has and continues to serve an important role in people’s lives.
Music has been around for thousands of years; it can be used for entertainment, teaching, or healing and coping. One reason people today listen to music is to help get them through rough times. The structural composition of music can influence a person’s thoughts and mood simply through the right chord progression. It has now become an acceptable modality for certain psychological and medicinal mechanisms. Music has recently developed into a therapeutic mechanism for situations stretching from autistic people to the average person struggling with heart break or simply just focusing.
It is no secret that music has a strange way of reaching people who were previously thought to be too far gone. Music has the capability to connect to individuals and touch them in a way that causes them to have some strange reactions (Warner et al, 35-36). These reactions aren’t fully understood but have the possibility to lead to great medical advancements. While some psychologists, and parents are strong believers in the helpful effects of music on people’s mental health, others see the dangers that come with music’s great influence and think it could be used as a dangerous tool against individuals.
The impact that music has on individuals lives varies greatly from person to person and often provides a unique lifestyle to each individual. An author by the name Oliver Sacks talks about the unique cases that he has dealt with in the past in his writings. The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat and “Brainworms, Sticky Music, and Catchy Tunes” from Musicophilia are two articles written by Oliver Sacks, which show the relationship that music has on the mind and how music can change how a person perceives reality. The human mind is a complex machine and yet there is something about music that transforms a person’s thought process completely.
Music, “…one of the most widely used and appealing forms of communication…”, is universal and used for different purposes (Root, 2005, p. 7). Among the uses are “…play or entertainment, which humans of all ages engage in to stimulate feelings of joy, tension, and interaction, and enrich their experiences by adding mental complexity, counteracting boredom and lethargy” (Root, 2005, p. 7). In addition, music expresses “…emotions such as love, sentiment, or anger” (Root, 2005, p. 7). Ultimately, it communicates values showing the reality of society and culture. Anyone listening to “a few records [helps] enrich [their] feelings, extend [their] sense of love or despair, and feed [their] fantasies or fire some real relationship” (Cooper & Haverkos,
I. The possible health benefits of music are criticized, yet they yield depreciation in negative emotions, exemplify an increase in physical stimulus, and ultimately instills exponential development.
I have this theory that when it comes to music there is an unseen power which transforms. In in my life I have felt the influence of this power but it wasn't until the other day that I witnessed this power in action. It was through a procedure called Music Therapy where the method of treatment involves the patient listening to music. The element of music has a history of an intuitive connection that has psychologically been beneficial. Music therapy bands together the concept of music, mental health, psychological, and physiological benefits. With more examinations to estimate the advantages for this procedure more debate arises. Many are eager to
Music is composed of sounds intertwined with melody and rhythm that can have powerful effects on a person. It can help people focus on tasks or calm the mind. Research has shown that music has beneficial effects on the mind, body, and health of a person. A journal article by Rastogi, Solanki, and Zafar (2013) refers, on the contrary, to:
Music surrounds people everywhere they go: in the car, at football games, on TV commercials, and in waiting rooms. Our personality is an indicator of what kind of music it is that we choose to surround ourselves with. Furthermore, the music we surround ourselves with has multiple effects on both our bodies and our brains. Whether it puts us in a good mood or distracts us from something more important, music has both positive and negative effects on us. Music can be used as a tool to facilitate so much of our experience in this world.
Music has more of an influence on the people in the twenty-first century than it ever has before. Teens, especially, are surrounded by some sort of it in everything they are around or do. Many disagree on how music impacts one’s mental state and behavior; however, all agree that the impact depends on how the listener feels before and how they allow it to influence them.
Musical instruments have played many major roles in helping with the construction of many societies around the world today. Many people do not realize what musical instruments have been responsible for and how they have helped shape the world today. There have been many instruments that have helped create and sculpt the world, but one instrument that I want to inform readers about is the trumpet and where it came from, as well as how it has changed over many years. The point that I am arguing is the fact that many people do not know where the trumpet has come from and how it has affected society.
The impact of music on positive psychology and emotion is a well known fact. Music has an extraordinary ability to change people’s emotions. In humans, music has the ability to invoke emotions of sadness, happiness and even fear (Goycoolea, Levy & Ramirez, 2013). The ability of music to alter human mood makes it one of the greatest subjects of positive psychology. Seligman (2011) argued that even though a lot of effort has been spent on psychotherapy and pharmacology, such interventions are not
Aside from emotions, music can also have an impact on mental illnesses like ADHD, depression, and dementia. To combat depression, Cadena states that “music therapy alleviates pain and promotes calmness by slowing the heart rate and other bodily functions” (2). It provides the patient with a means of escape from the stressful and painful ordeals of life, and can even encourage them to recover from depression. To help children with ADHD, music therapy and medications can be used conjointly. Music, Cadena affirms, “can provide a calming, sedative affect and assist a child with focusing on the task at hand” (2). In regards to dementia, a study was done to investigate the effects that music would have on people with the disease. The findings demonstrated that “mean agitation levels were significantly lower while listening to music than before listening to the music” (3).
Music elicits an emotional and cognitive response in all who listen to it. It is powerful at the individual level because “it can induce multiple responses – physiological, movement, mood, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral” (Francis, 2008,