How does music affect us?

Music has a profound effect on us. It can amplify our moods—positive and negative—and it can also have positive physical impacts. According to studies from a variety of medical and educational institutions—including the well-known Mayo Clinic—music truly does have the power to heal.

Music reduces anxiety and stress, improves mood, distracts us from feeling pain, and promotes positive emotions. Of course, these reactions also assume that a person is listening to music they like—doing the opposite can result in less positive or even negative reactions.

Because stress levels tend to go down when we listen to music we like, our blood pressure can actually decrease. This is good news for those of us with higher-than-normal blood pressure and tension. It’s also good news for patients recovering from operations, cancer, or other physical ailments, as it can help speed recovery time along.

In fact, music can decrease anxiety so much that one study even found that patients with Parkinson’s disease were more relaxed when listening to music—while on the operating table. Patients who listened to purely melodic music were comforted and some even fell asleep during the operation.

Our brains control our bodies. It’s no secret that positive thinking has had positive, physical health benefits. The same is true of music. Apparently, listening to “joyful” music has been connected with a healthier coronary system, triggering a dilation of blood vessels around the heart and allowing more blood to pass through.

Being a musician has its health benefits, too. Lifelong musicians have been linked with better sound processing, the difference becoming especially evident as aging progresses. Musicians have also shown greater mental acuity in old age, and retain that sharpness for longer than those who were not musically inclined.  Music can actually make you smarter.

Taking music lessons and being actively involved in making music has also been linked to better memory. Studies have shown that information recall and verbal memory in children who take music lessons is higher than average.

So, there you have it. If you didn’t already have a good excuse for being a music lover or musician before, now you have the proof and support of science. Now go and be merry. And listen to some tunes while you do it.