Why is music good for the brain? – . Health Blog

Can music really affect your well-being, your learning, your cognitive functions, your quality of life, and even your happiness? A recent AARP music and brain health survey found some interesting insights into the effects of music on cognitive and emotional wellbeing:

• Music listeners had higher scores for mental wellbeing and slightly reduced levels of anxiety and depression compared to people as a whole.
• Of respondents who currently attend musical performances, 69% rated their brain health as “excellent” or “very good,” compared with 58% for those who have been in the past and 52% for those who have never been there.
• Of those who reported frequent exposure to music as a child, 68% rated their ability to learn new things as “excellent” or “very good,” compared with 50% of those who were not exposed to music.
• Active musical engagement, including those over the age of 50, has been associated with higher rates of happiness and good cognitive functioning.
• Adults without exposure to early music who are currently concerned with a certain musical appreciation show above-average scores for mental well-being.

Let's take a closer look at this study

These are pretty impressive results, of course. However, this 20 minute online survey has some limitations. For one, it comprised 3,185 US adults aged 18 and over; That's a small number when you extrapolate to 328 million people across the country. Second, it's really an overview of people's opinions. For example, while people might call their brain health “excellent,” there wasn't an objective measure of brain health like an MRI scan or even a test to measure their cognition.

Even if the ratings were true, the results are just correlations. They don't prove that it was the encounter with music as a child, for example, that led to an improved ability to learn new things. It is also likely that children growing up in wealthier households were both more likely to be exposed to music and received a good education that made it easy for them to learn new things later in life.

But let's assume that the results of the AARP survey are indeed correct. How can music have such impressive brain effects? While we don't know the answers for sure, developments in cognitive neuroscience in recent years have allowed us to speculate about some possible mechanisms.

Music activates almost the entire brain

Music has been shown to activate some of the broadest and most diverse networks in the brain. Of course, music activates the auditory cortex in the temporal lobes near your ears, but that's just the beginning. The parts of the brain involved in emotions are not only activated during the emotional music, but also synchronized. Music also activates a variety of storage areas. Interestingly enough, music activates the engine system. In fact, it was believed that it is the activation of the brain's motor system that allows us to recognize the beat of the music even before we even start tapping our foot on it!

Use it or lose it

Okay, music activates almost the entire brain. Why is that so important? Have you ever heard the phrase "If you don't use it, you will lose it"? It turns out that this is actually the case in the brain. Brain pathways – and even entire networks – are strengthened when they are in use and weakened when not in use. The reason is that the brain is efficient; It won't go through the hassle of keeping a brain pathway strong if it has not been used in many years. The brain will use the neurons for something else along the way. These types of changes should be intuitively obvious to you. That's why it's harder to speak this foreign language if you haven't used it in 20 years. Many of the old ways have deteriorated and the neurons are being used for other purposes.

Music keeps your brain networks strong

How does music promote well-being, improve learning, stimulate cognitive functions, improve quality of life and even induce happiness? The answer is, because music can activate almost all brain regions and networks, it can help keep a wide variety of brain pathways and networks strong, including the networks involved in wellbeing, learning, cognitive functions, quality of life, and happiness . In fact, there's just one other situation where you can activate so many brain networks at the same time, and then you get involved in social activities.

Dance the night away

How do you build music into your life? It is easy. Although the AARP survey found those who actively listened to music showed the most powerful benefits for the brain, even those who mostly listened to background music showed benefits, so you can now turn that music on. Music can lift your mood, so make a happy tune when you're feeling blue. Uptempo music can give you energy. And when you combine music with an aerobic and social activity, you can get the maximum health benefits from it. Take a Zumba class. Do jazz aerobics. Jump to the rhythms of rock and roll. Or, better yet, go dancing. (And yes, during a pandemic, you can still benefit from doing these activities virtually.)