JDo you like to listen to music before sleeping? And listen to a good song while you work out in the gym? In this post, you will be able to see all the benefits of music for our lives.
You know that feeling when you hear a tune you like and you automatically feel better? It may be the worst of days, but it seems that listening to it is a light at the end of the tunnel.
The benefits of music range from a sense of well-being to better memory development. In some cases, it can be an important ally in the treatment of diseases. Have you been curious and want to know more about this relationship?
Know the main benefits of music
Everyone knows that listening to music is good for the mind. However, few can determine why this happens. To try and answer this question, we’ve put together a bunch of research that shows the top 7 benefits of music. We already anticipate that some of them are:
1. Reduce stress
When we feel stressed and/or tired, many of us – intuitively – put on relaxing music to play. Your intuition was correct in thinking that this helped you. And it is that calm or slow classical music, for example, can have a relaxing effect on our brain.
So, if you have a hard time dealing with stress, consider listening to this type of music to help you feel calmer. Or try listening to the soundtrack of a relaxing movie. In addition to affective memory, some studies have shown that this type of music can help combat anxiety.
If you are still not convinced of this relationship, we would like to take it to another sphere of animal life: dogs. Believe us, scientists at the Veterinary University of Vienna in Austria have discovered that classical music itself is capable of calming dogs.
In summary, the vibrations of the songs have a direct action on the limbic system, responsible for emotions. As a result, around 85% of our pets calm down when listening to some type of music.
2. Improves Stamina
You’re in the gym doing an extremely grueling repetition. At the same time, you are listening to something on your headphones. Suddenly, that song that you like so much begins to play. Automatically, you feel less tired, more willing and wanting to push your limits.
A study has shown that music can increase a person’s stamina by up to 15%. The theory is that the aforementioned classical music helps with concentration. Consequently, with greater control of our body and emotions, we are able to resist for longer.
Another study suggests that it’s not the type of music, but the speed of the beats per minute (BPM). In other words, songs that have a speed between 125 and 140 BPM generate better performance in training, for example.
Also, when it comes to exercises and melodies, listening to music can also help to:
- reduce fatigue and pain;
- accelerate the responses of the body and the feeling of well-being;
- combat stress and bad mood, providing more encouragement;
- work memory and reasoning, facilitating the understanding of the exercises.
3. Improves overall health
It may sound too good to be true, but a study published by CNN Health suggests that listening to music has significant health benefits. This is because the act, as simple as it may seem, releases dopamine in our body, a hormone responsible for the feeling of pleasure and well-being.
In short, it is the same neurotransmitter that is released when we eat something we really like and when we have an orgasm. In fact, there is already some research showing that the benefits of music go beyond pleasure.
It can even aid in recovery from a number of conditions, from heart disease to colds.
4. Helps in the development of children
It is for this reason that many parents put their children in an instrument class from an early age. Music can be an important ally in the development of children, since it contributes to:
- the creation of memories and reasoning;
- school learning;
- concentration;
- body expression;
- emotional security.
By listening, singing or playing a song, children stimulate the brain. So much so that one of the benefits for the little ones is the fact that it helps in visual perception, facilitating the learning of various things.
In addition, it can also contribute to body expression and emotional security. In the first case, with the integration of the body and the mind, helping to understand the limits. In the second case, developing affection with everyone involved and expressing themselves in other ways.
Watch the following video to learn about the importance of music for the development of boys and girls.
5. Contributes to the quality of sleep
For music to help us sleep better, it is essential to choose the right melody. An incorrect rhythm can cause sleep disorders and increase anxiety. Therefore, if you are part of the group that enjoys listening to something before bed, consider whether it is the right song for the moment.
According to research carried out in Germany, calm and relaxing songs can contribute to better memory fixation. In summary, a study subjected 11 people to sound stimuli before sleeping. Subsequently, it was found that the synchrony between the brain rhythm and the sounds facilitated the memorization of what had happened the night before.
Added to this is the fact that, for some people, songs calm them down. In this context, it becomes an important ally for sleep quality.
6. Increase empathy
We’ve already talked about how music can reduce stress and anxiety, improve stamina, among other benefits. But did you know that on top of that, songs can also teach some people empathy?
For you to understand this relationship a little more, two studies, published in 2018, can help you. They have carried out a test with 15 and 20 students, respectively, to obtain some answers. The first of these was that the empathy trait changed while listening to music. Thus, it was easier to feel empathic with a situation when exposed to a certain melody.
There is even some research that says sad songs can help even more. Instead of feeling sad, those who listen tend to feel more empathy. On the other hand, the second study showed how music can make us more open to the feelings of others.
7. Improve the quality of our meals
Yes, music also affects our perception of taste. According to research conducted in the United States, the type and volume of music can directly affect the satisfaction of what we eat. Classical music, for example, between 62 and 67 dB made people enjoy their food more.
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