Have you ever wondered what is going on inside your brain when your favorite song hits your eardrums? How does the wave of emotions occur in your body when you hear the first note of the song you haven’t listened to in a while? How do songs remind us of different moments of our lives, how do they have this power? Music is way more than tones and timbres that are organized in a precise manner; it’s not just something we hear, it’s something that deeply affects the brain, emotions, and body. 

“Music is an emotion you can hear,” says Dr. Sophia Tegard. It affects us so deeply that it can strongly influence our brain and get our bodies moving. Listening to or making music increases blood flow to brain regions that generate and control emotions. The limbic system, which is involved in processing emotions and controlling memory, “lights” up when our ears perceive music. This is why certain songs can instantly make us feel happy, sad, or nostalgic.

There are few things that stimulate the brain the way music does. According to the research (Johns Hopkins Medicine) music can improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness and even memory as well as reduce anxiety, blood pressure and pain. For this reason, music is often used in therapy and relaxation techniques to improve the overall well-being of a person.

Listening to music involves more than the organized tones and timbres that come into your ears, it’s also felt through the body. Evelyn Glennie started to lose her sense of hearing when she was 12 years old, however, this didn’t stop her from becoming an accomplished musician. “She plays barefoot and feels the vibrations of the music through her feet,” Tegard says. Maybe you’ve also experienced music with more than just your ears. Maybe you’ve experienced the vibrations of the bass speaker or felt chills in your body. Maybe the music got your toes tapping. It doesn’t matter if it’s clapping your hands or dancing, music can make us want to move. Movement can get our hearts beating and our blood flowing which is beneficial to our health. Dancing can also help release some of the endorphins that make us feel good and energized.

The chills you feel when you hear a certain melody can be the result of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that triggers sensations of pleasure and well-being. When your brain becomes familiar with a song, it  may release dopamine upon hearing the first notes of the song. This is why hearing a favorite song can instantly lift your mood. (Fink)

Humans have the ability to feel dozens of emotions, ranging from happiness to sadness to fear. Perhaps you can think of a few of the different emotions you’ve experienced while listening to music. Emotions enhance memory. Most adults still remember the lyrics to the songs they loved in high school largely because adolescence is a time of heightened emotion. Therapists use music in the care of Alzheimer’s patients to bring seemingly lost memories (Fink). As a result, people who were thought to have lost their memory completely suddenly start humming and singing along to the lyrics of their favorite songs from the past. 

The next time you turn on the tunes, or maybe perform a song on stage yourself, take a moment to be curious about the emotions you experience. 

“I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.” — Billy Joel

Works Cited

Collins, Nathan. “How Music Supercharges Brain Stimulation.” Stanford.edu, Stanford University, 2025, news.stanford.edu/stories/2025/09/music-brain-stimulation-neuroscience-transcranial-magnetic-stimulation. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.

Eck, Allison. “How Music Resonates in the Brain.” Magazine.hms.harvard.edu, Harvard Medicine, Mar. 2024, magazine.hms.harvard.edu/articles/how-music-resonates-brain. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.

Fink, Jennifer. “Why and How Music Moves Us | Pfizer.” Pfizer.com, Pfizer, 2020, www.pfizer.com/news/articles/why_and_how_music_moves_us. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.

Johns Hopkins Medicine. “Keep Your Brain Young with Music.” Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2019, www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/keep-your-brain-young-with-music. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.

“Why Do People like Listening to Music? | Ask Dr. Universe | Washington State University.” Ask Dr. Universe, 28 Jan. 2022, askdruniverse.wsu.edu/2022/01/28/people-like-listening-music/. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.