Music + Science

The Musicator
Sep 30, 2015
3 min read

MUSIC + SCIENCE

Here is a bit of science on how music affects our brains and bodies in some seriously cool ways!!

We have added some lyrics and videos just for the hell of it after every section, just because we can!

Why do we sometimes get chills when we listen to certain bits of music?

“I got chills, they're multiplying, and I'm losing control Cause the power, you're supplying, It's electrifying!”- You're The One That I Want from Grease

The reason for this is that when listening to music our brain produces a “Feel good” chemical called Dopamine. This chemical can be associated with motivation, pleasure & reward, as well as addiction. It is Dopamine that makes your hairs stand on end when you listen to a song that makes you feel WOW! Dopamine is connected with addiction and is increased by using all those naughty drugs such as methamphetamine or cocaine. Therefore, this is the reason why we get addicted to certain songs.

So…

SAY YES TO MUSIC & SAY NO TO DRUGS!

Playing music regularly will alter your brain structure

"Cause everything's a game, Always trying to calculate, Trying to look smart but not too smart, To threaten anything they say" - Brain by Banks

Brain plasticity refers to the brain’s ability to change throughout life. Changes associated with learning occur mostly at the connections between neurons inside our brains. When studying musicians brains, scientists found that the cortex volume was highest in professional musicians, intermediate in amateur musicians, and lowest in non-musicians. In simpler terms the brain of a professional musician triggers a lot more connections between neurons that a non-musician. Therefore, listening or producing music makes us cleverer people! So get that radio on, some music producing software and get on it!

An emotional attachment could be the reason you particularly like a song

“I’ve never been the kind to ever let my feelings show, And I thought that bein’ strong meant never losin’ your self-control” – Tonight I Wanna Cry by Keith Urban

Our favourite songs are usually associated with an emotional time in our life, be it happy or sad. A song can remind you of your first kiss or the time a relative passed away. This emotional attachment triggers the neurons in our hippocampus (in our brain), which then gets lodged in our short term, but mainly our long term memory. You may not remember the name of the song or artist, but the tune sticks in your mind forever! So get emotional people and start remembering those tunes!

Your heartbeat mimics the music you listen to

“Always up for a laugh, she's a pain in the arse, every time that we meet, I skip a heartbeat.” – Heartbeat by Scouting for Girls

Music has been scientifically proven to modulate your heartbeat, blood pressure and respiration. Who knew hey?! Music may calm the beast inside of you or make and given day seem shorter, especially a work day! Scientific studies now suggest than music can have a positive effect on our cardiovascular health. While listening to music our cardiovascular system mirrors deflating decrescendos, and swelling crescendos. Amazingly as well distinguishing changes in sound were even found to effect little beating hearts of those as small as an unborn baby! Now that is some pretty neat stuff!!

Doctors sometimes prescribe music as a medicine

“Want you to take me to the H, take me to the O, Want you to take me to the S, take me to the, Want you to take me to the I T A L, Want you to take me to hospital, H O S P I T A L” – Take Me To The Hospital by The Faint

Doctors nowadays are prescribing music to help treat some patients, especially those with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases. It has been proven to help overcome difficulty initiating movement or “Bradykinesia” if you want the posh word! Music does this by stimulating your brain neurons to change the music into movement, therefore allowing the patient to retain control of different parts of their body. Music has also be known to help restore the loss of language in patients with impaired speech or again if you want the scientific word “Aphasia” that comes after a stroke or severe head trauma.

Now I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m going to continue listening to music to stimulate all my neurons most definitely! I hope this interests you all like it did with me! There are many different website about the Science of Music that are 100% worth a look at, just check them out via Google.

In the mean time check out how our brain functions when and how we listen to music! It is really interesting stuff!