Psychology behind music

     Everyone enjoys music, but more importantly music helps in many psychological ways. There are about 15 main genres of music, and based on specific taste of music the different genres may have different effects on people. There are numerous amounts of negative and positive effects that music can have on the human brain. For example music can affect your emotion and your mental health. 
     Generally, people don’t think about the psychology behind music and don’t realize that whatever song or genre of music they’re listening to is actually affecting them, more specifically affecting their mental health. In an article titled How Music Affects the Brain writer Deane Alban discusses that “Music improves brain health and function in many ways. It makes you smarter, happier, and more productive at any age.” While Alban says that music improves brain health for any listeners she explains that the effects are even greater on musicians because, professional musicians brains are different from non-musicians. As brain scans have shown professionals brains are bigger, better connected, and more sensitive. In a survey taken by 40 people, 30% of them said they play an instrument.
     Our emotions are affected by music, reminiscing during a song is actually not caused by the song but rather the “nostalgic emotional experience” that the song reminds us of. The association of the song with a specific moment of celebration will cause you to reminisce that certain celebration which will cause you to either be sad or happy depending on the situation it reminds you of. Music is also a language of emotion there are different components and patterns to mimic and represent emotions, which is why, often, people use music to express their feelings. Hashmat also explains how rhythm can have a powerful effect on movement ,”...the auditory system has a rich connection to motor systems in the brain.” The auditory system in your brain is the reason that when you hear music your body automatically wants to move with it, dance along with it, or nod your head to the beat of the music.
     As I have said before, music can affect the emotion in a person. Research has actually shown that music can help tremendously in managing pain, not just emotional pain but physical pain. In a study of fibromyalgia patients it was found that if they listened to music for at least an hour a day they experienced a decrease in pain compared to those who did not listen to music for an hour everyday. Music is not only a great outlet for emotion but can also improve memory, be an effective treatment of depression or anxiety, and can boost your motivation. Music therapy is actually a safe treatment for those with depression. Classical and music offered mood-boosting benefits. If you are listening to a slow, sad song in a depressive state, you will remain sad, but have you ever tried turning on ,fast paced, music when you are sad? Not only is classical music good for music therapy but classical music has been found to reduce tension and enhance intelligence in verbal ability. Studies have also shown that listening to classical music can reduce tension even if you are not a classical music fan. I actually put this study to the test while I was writing this essay and I felt less tense when listening to classical music and I am not a big classical music fan. “Science has now proven what music lovers already know, that listening to upbeat music can improve your mood. Listening to and playing music reduces chronic stress by lowering the stress hormone cortisol.” Not only can music lower tension but fast paced music can also motivate a person, it is actually mainly in the areas of the brain that focus on motivation, reward, and emotion. Music can also lower stress levels. Music can affect different levels of mental health.
     Your brain is actually working harder than you realize. Have you ever realized that you can predict when the drop of a beat will occur in a song or when the song will speed up or slow down? There is actually apart of your brain that synchronizes neural oscillators with the beat of the music. The neural oscillators are actually what makes music so appealing, your ability to predict what will happen next, music also has to keep you on the edge of your seat and change it up, musicians have to change their sound numerous amounts of times because if you keep expecting the same music sooner or later you will get bored of it.

Reporter: Nessa Osso