Cohen asked a documentary film maker to follow him around for three days to witness the astounding effect that music was having on the behavior, mood, and quality of life of patients who appeared to no longer have much of a connection to themselves and the world. The film maker was so moved and impressed that he followed Cohen for months and created this film.
The music, which ranges from jazz to rock to classical, elicits surprising reactions. Some people, who had seemed unable to speak, proceed to sing and dance to the music, and others are able to recount when and where they had listened to that music. The music seems to open doors to the residents' memory vaults.
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Researchers at the music and neuro-imaging laboratory at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have shown that singing lyrics can be especially helpful to people who are recovering from a stroke or brain injury that has damaged the left-brain region responsible for speech. Because singing ability originates in the undamaged right side of the brain, people can learn to speak their thoughts by singing them first and gradually dropping the melody. Former Representative Gabrielle Giffords used this technique to learn to speak well enough to testify before a Congressional committee two years after a gunshot wound to her brain destroyed her ability to speak. Singing has also helped healthy people learn words and phrases faster.
Explore technology that can enable you to listen to music across multiple devices, such as your phone or television. Try music apps, such as Spotify or Pandora, that will suggest new music you might enjoy based on algorithms identifying music similar to your current selections.
While listening to music that you know and like tends to cause the strongest brain response and dopamine release, try listening to new music. Unfamiliar melodies may stimulate your brain, while providing a new source of pleasure as you get used to hearing them.
Make music yourself! Music making includes singing and playing an instrument. Learning to play a musical instrument can offer a sense of mastery and self-esteem, while enhancing brain activity. Singing may be the simplest way to get started.
Research suggests that listening to music may lessen the impact of depression and anxiety. A 2019 study found that college students who listened to classical music every day for two months had significantly lower levels of anxiety.
Research has found that listening to upbeat music with the intention of getting in a better mood actually works. You might not even need the research to believe this, as you might already experience this yourself.
Music can have a profound effect on both the emotions and the body. Faster music can make you feel more alert and concentrate better. Upbeat music can make you feel more optimistic and positive about life. A slower tempo can quiet your mind and relax your muscles, making you feel soothed while releasing the stress of the day. Music is effective for relaxation and stress management.
Research confirms these personal experiences with music. Current findings indicate that music around 60 beats per minute can cause the brain to synchronize with the beat causing alpha brainwaves (frequencies from 8 - 14 hertz or cycles per second). This alpha brainwave is what is present when we are relaxed and conscious. To induce sleep (a delta brainwave of 5 hertz), a person may need to devote at least 45 minutes, in a relaxed position, listening to calming music. Researchers at Stanford University have said that "listening to music seems to be able to change brain functioning to the same extent as medication." They noted that music is something that almost anybody can access and makes it an easy stress reduction tool.
So what type of music reduces stress the best? A bit surprising is that Native American, Celtic, Indian stringed-instruments, drums, and flutes are very effective at relaxing the mind even when played moderately loud. Sounds of rain, thunder, and nature sounds may also be relaxing particularly when mixed with other music, such as light jazz, classical (the "largo" movement), and easy listening music. Since with music we are rarely told the beats per minute, how do you choose the relaxation music that is best for you? The answer partly rests with you: You must first like the music being played, and then it must relax you. You could start by simply exploring the music on this web page. Some may relax you, some may not. Forcing yourself to listen to relaxation music that irritates you can create tension, not reduce it. If that happens, try looking for alternatives on the internet or consult with Counseling Service staff for other musical suggestions. It is important to remember that quieting your mind does not mean you will automatically feel sleepy. It means your brain and body are relaxed, and with your new calm self, you can then function at your best in many activities.
Classical Indian Music for Healing and Relaxing
Gayatri Govindarajan, "Pure Deep Meditation" track. Lovely and rhythmic music played on the veena, the most ancient of the Indian plucked-instruments, with nature scenes.
Music therapists can help you find ways to use music for your mental health. This type of therapist learns how to use music-making and listening to help people understand and process their emotions. Like traditional mental health counseling, music therapy is customized to the needs of the client.
If you feel stuck, start with a song that you already know. Let the melody inspire you to write lyrics that express how you feel. Sing it into your phone and play it back. Hearing your own feelings reflected back to you is an important part of healing through music.
According to a 2017 study, listening to happy tunes helps generate more innovative solutions compared to being in silence. Which means, cranking up some feel-good music can help boost your creative thinking and brain power.
Keep forgetting where you put your keys? Try listening to some classical music. A study from the Department of Medical Genetics, the University of Helsinki, Finland, shows that listening to just 20 minutes of classical music a day can modulate the genes responsible for brain function and memory. During the study, participants who listened to classical music were more likely to be positively affected. The research team noted an increase in dopamine secretion, synaptic function and the genes associated with learning and memory. This also included the gene synuclein-alpha (SNCA), which is often linked to how birds learn their song, suggesting the evolutionary background of sound perception and memory.
So why do classical tunes lull us into the land of nod, rather than pop or punk rock? Songs with an upbeat tempo and words can cause the brain to multitask and become overwhelmed. The slow tempo, tranquil melody and soothing rhythm of classical music makes it the perfect antidote to insomnia and helps the body properly prepare for sleep.
Julia Lehrman, LCSW, RYT is a licensed psychotherapist in private practice in downtown San Francisco. Julia specializes in helping adults work through stress, anxiety, depression, and life transitions. Julia draws upon evidence-based treatment interventions such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), neuroscience research, and positive psychology while maintaining a warm, compassionate, and relational approach. Julia is also a registered yoga teacher. She often incorporates mindfulness, meditation, visualization, relaxation techniques, and breathing exercises into therapy sessions.
With colder temperatures outside and fewer daylight hours, the winter months can be especially tough to trudge through. Just like the weather outside, we may often feel powerless to change the emotions we feel on the inside. Calling upon our favorite music, however, just might help us to transform the winter blues into a different sounding tune.
Sometimes when we get in these entrenched states, it can be difficult to dig ourselves out. We may start listening to negative messages that have been internalized and deeply ingrained within our minds, (consciously or unconsciously) playing them on repeat. The good news, however, is that we actually have the power to shift our thinking. We have the ability to bring ourselves away from the destructive noise of our own cognitive distortions and into the sweet sounds of serenity.
All of these ideas depend on what works best for you and what makes you feel good. Not sure what music to put on? Try checking out Spotify and Soundcloud to explore new artists and songs that might be appealing to you.
A study by the University of Washington's Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) found that playing music to 9-month old babies led to an improved understanding of rhythm in speech and music.
Interestingly, the same could not be said for the passive music group. Infants who participated in the passive listening classes did not show the same preferences. Even their brains responded to music differently. Infants from the interactive music classes showed larger and/or earlier brain responses to musical tones."
One thing I pay attention to is whether I'm "over" the music. Several studies have shown that your listening pleasure follows a U-shaped curve. First it increases, but after a while, once your brain gets used to it, the returns are diminishing.
There are many ways that music can impact the brain's ability to focus. One mechanism involves decreasing stress and cortisol, which allows the brain's attention center to operate without interruption.
On the flip side, when you suppress your feelings, negative emotions just linger in your brain. And try as you might, you'll lose the capacity to focus. So, if music helps you to connect with your emotions, it can help you think more clearly, too.
Apparently, music has a structure. It has tempo, pitch, harmony, timbre, and order, regardless of the genre. So even if it is a form of aural stimulation, it does not impact the brain the way noise does. In fact, studies today show that music can actually help people become more creative. 006ab0faaa