The Miracle of Music

Music is all around us. Whether we are walking in the mall, getting our hair cut, watching TV; music is present. While most of us enjoy it for our own entertainment or to occupy the silence, music actually does so much more for our bodies and minds than we think.

When most of us toss in that CD or select the song on our phones, we aren’t often full aware of its impact on us. There are definite mental and physical effects, which I  will look over in this article.

(source: sites.psu.edu)

When it comes to physical effects from music, you might be shocked at all it can do. For example, music has actually been shown to affect heartbeat and the rate of our pulse. The heart rate of an individual is very receptive to different frequencies, tempo and volume. The faster the music, the faster the heartbeat and pulse rate and vice versa for slow music and a slower heart rate. Also, studies have shown that even blood pressure can be affected by music.

Another great physical benefit of listening to the right music is that it can actually boost your immune system and can make you a healthie person.  Scientists at Michigan State University reported that listening to music for only fifteen minutes could increase levels of interlukin-1 (IL-1) in the blood from 12.5% to 14%. These are family of proteins associated with blood and platelet production, cellular protection against AIDS, cancer and other awful diseases.

(source: kvhstudios.com)

And in terms of music helping us mentally, we all have likely felt these benefits. Music can put us in various kinds of different moods (whether happy, sad or anything in between) and can help to regulate our emotions. But even on top of this, music can mentally help us in other ways too. For example, music can strengthen our learning anc memory capacity. Just as music can give us more stamina during a workout, the same can be said during a study session. Soft and easily paced music in the background can often help people concentrate longer. In addition to this, music can actually regulate our stress levels, and can sometimes even replace the need for medication for some people.

As you can see, when you are listening to your favorite song, there is more going on than you think. Music can be extremely powerful in a number of ways and with all the different kinds of music out there, there is something for everyone.