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Music and the Brain
Did you know- music increases our ability to connect with one another by impacting brain circuits involved in empathy, trust and cooperation? Here are some ways scientists believe that music strengthens social bonds:
1. Music increases coordination and cooperation with others. Coordinating movement with another person is linked to the release of endorphins in the brain, which may explain why we get positive, warm feelings when we make music together.
2. Music has been shown to activate the circuit in the brain that helps us to understand what others are thinking and feeling- thus helping to develop our sense of empathy.
3. Music is one way of communicating belonging, which may increase our sense of trust and safety and help to foster a sense of community and connection with others around us.
Here are some more benefits of music on the brain and body:
The Benefits of Music
Music reduces stress
Music can trigger a variety of chemical reactions in your brain that contribute to relaxation. From reducing stress hormones to stimulating feelings of happiness, music can almost instantly translate to a good mood.
When we listen to music, our brain releases dopamine, so we are inevitably bound to feel less stress, anxiety, and more positive feelings when we listen to music. These feel-good effects also produce a number of positive long-term benefits for our body, such as lower stress and anxiety levels, better sleep patterns, and improved overall health and well-being.
Music improves language skills
According to PBS, “Recent studies have clearly indicated that musical training physically develops the part of the left side of the brain known to be involved with processing language, and can actually wire the brain’s circuits in specific ways.”
Music education requires students to recognize and repeat pitch, tone or enunciation of words. Music stimulates the brain, and with its varied sounds and lyrics, students are exposed to a large amount of vocabulary in a short amount of time.
Especially in young children, music directly benefits the ability to learn words, speak them correctly, and process the many new sounds they hear from others, which creates a foundation for the student’s ability to understand and communicate in a different language.
Music creates connection and improves social skills of students
Researchers are concluding that music seems to have an effect on interpersonal relationships, emphasizing the positive benefits of active listening, communication and teamwork, which in turn set the context for developmental change.
It is undeniably true that music has its own language and it connects all those who take part in it. Bonds that are built while playing music in a group setting last for a long time. Coordinating movement with another person is linked to the release of endorphins in the brain, which may explain why we get positive, warm feelings when we make music together. This in turn helps children build community and increases their sense of felt-safety.
Music increases focus and improves memory
Playing or listening to music can also help children channel energy and help them stay focused. Some researchers say that it engages our unconscious mind from drifting off into unwanted thought and thus, in turn, helps our conscious mind to concentrate more on the task at hand.
Learning a musical instrument also requires concentration, alertness, memory, and dedication. These, in turn, enhances the brain’s functioning and helps a child to concentrate.
Music shifts focus away from pain
Good music has the power to grab our attention and holds it long enough to make us forget our pain.
Music also has a positive impact on our blood circulation to our brain and body, which in turn lessens pain. Since ancient times, music has been used to treat people suffering from acute depression or physical pain. Music has the power to shift your mind from negative feelings and divert it from stress, anxiety, and other depression.