Music has long been associated with medicinal properties. Singing and dancing were a central part of African and Native American healing rituals and in ancient Greece, music was used to alleviate stress and induce sleep. While Western medicine has tended to ignore music's health benefits in the past, recent research demonstrating its efficacy for healing and promoting good health now makes music's healing qualities more difficult to dismiss.
Music Enhances Well-Being
When you're feeling down, listening to music can lift your spirits. Music scientist Dr. Daniel Levitin demonstrated this by observing the brain activity of 13 subjects while they were listening to classical music. Dr. Levitin found that the brain responds to music by releasing dopamine, a chemical that generates a sense of reward in the brain. "We've always known that music is good for improving your mood," says Levitin. "But this showed precisely how it happens."
Music Promotes Healing
In the December 2007 issue of the journal "Critical Care Medicine," Dr. Claudius Conrad published the results of a study he conducted about the healing effects of music. He treated post-operative intensive care patients to Mozart piano sonatas and found a 50 percent rise in pituitary growth hormone, which he asserts curbs inflammation and produces a sedative effect. The patients also experienced a 20 percent drop in the stress hormones epinephrine and interleukin-6 as well as a reduced need for pain medication.
Music is Heart Healthy
Listening to music benefits the heart and circulatory system. Researchers at the Chinese University in Hong Kong prescribed 25 minutes of music a day to a group of hypertensive patients. After 4 weeks, the researchers found a 12 point drop in the average systolic pressure and a 5 point drop in the average diastolic pressure of music listeners, while a control group saw no change in their condition. "Music therapy may be an alternative for hypertension treatment," the researchers concluded.
Music Boosts Your Love Life
Music can increase your libido, says obstetrician and author of "The Scientification of Love," Dr. Michel Odent. Listening to slow, rhythmic melodies releases the hormone oxytocin in the brain. Sometimes called the "love" hormone or "cuddle" hormone, oxytocin regulates the ability to bond to others in relationships and is released by both men and women during sexual encounters. "Slow tempo music also creates an atmosphere of calm," asserts Odent, "which encourages loss of inhibitions."
Music Improves Cognitive Function
When combined with exercise, listening to music helps "organize cognitive output" according to Ohio State University's Charles F. Emory. His study, which was published in the journal Heart and Lung, tested the verbal fluency of cardiac patients after two 20 minute stints on a treadmill, the first in silence and the second accompanied by Vivaldi's "Four Seasons." After the first run, the patients showed no change in verbal ability, while after exercising to music, the patients scored significantly higher.
References
- NY Times: Music of the Hemispheres
- NY Times: A Musician Who Performs With a Scalpel
- The Independent: Tunes to Soothe: The Healing Power of Music
- "The Mirror"; Tune Your Body; How Music Can Make You Healthier: David Edwards; February 2008.
- "Charleston Daily Mail"; Exercising to Music Stimulates Brain"; 2004
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