Have you ever wondered why listening to music is so popular? Music is an integral part of culture all around the world, and without it, life would be a lot less enjoyable. There are scientific findings that support why people walk around town with headphones on, dance to songs at clubs and gather together in concert halls. Studies show that music arouses the same parts of the brain that favorite foods, sex and drugs activate. In other words, listening to music is enjoyable. Musical involvement in early childhood affects brain development and positively affects musical abilities into adulthood. Unfortunately, the association between classical music and intelligence is generally misinterpreted and has therefore been implemented incorrectly in the past. For some with brain damage music therapy has proven to be beneficial. Music is not only pleasurable, but it is also therapeutic and beneficial. Let’s take a closer look at how the brain interprets music.
It is impossible to enjoy music without the ability to hear. Music is transported via sound waves that contact the outer ear, enter the inner ear and enter the brain. Specifically, the waves settle in the primary auditory cortex, which is located on the temporal lobe. Different frequencies activate different cells in the cortex (higher frequencies activate cells closer to the hindbrain and vice versa). For example, middle C on the piano activates a cell closer to the forebrain and the popular mosquito ringtone that middle school children use (because it is inaudible for most adults) activates a cell closer in location to the hindbrain. (Kalat, 2009) Volume and pitch factor into our enjoyment of music, too, and each and every person has their own preference for what music is most enjoyable to them.
“Music listening is a passive and mechanistic matter of the successful titillation of reward centers.” (Margulis, 2008) Enjoying music does not require much effort at all. The listener only has to press play, kick back and relax to take pleasure in music’s effects. In fact, “almost all of the brain’s response to music takes place at the sub-cortical level, that is, in nerve centers below the cerebral cortex, which is the region of the brain where abstract thought occurs. Our brains process music, therefore, without really thinking about it.” (Godcher, 2002) Listening to music is an easier way to receive pleasure than having sex, doing drugs or eating dessert. It is completely legal, does not interfere with relationships or cause any unwanted weight gain.
In addition to its enjoyable qualities, listening to classical music is believed to improve intelligence. The general public took much interest in what is called the Mozart effect. “The Mozart effect refers to a popular belief that exposure to classical music makes children smarter.” (Margulis, 2008) Georgia
The public may have been hopeful about the Mozart effect, but psychologists refuted the commonly believed claims. “They argued, in essence, that the Mozart effect was merely an artifact of improved test performance and not improved intelligence.” It is also commonly hypothesized among psychologists that listening to Mozart before taking a test perked up students’ moods and as a result their test scores with it. (Jones, West and Estell, 2006)
A study conducted by Jones, West and Estell sought to test which of the hypotheses proposed by psychologists is true. Forty one undergraduate psychology majors between the ages of nineteen and twenty seven were separated into experimental and control groups for the study. The experimental group listened to a Mozart sonata for seven and a half minutes, and members of the control group sat in a quiet library (separated from other participants) for the same length of time. After listening (or sitting quietly) the participants filled out surveys rating their alertness and how they felt about the music or silence they were exposed to. They then took a seventeen question test on paper folding and cutting. The results were evaluated, and the Mozart listeners performed better on the test. The results of the studied concluded in favor of a theory that suggests that listening to Mozart increases arousal in students and therefore their test scores. “There is no reason that parents and policy makers should look to Mozart as an efficacious early intervention to enhancing spatial ability.” (Jones, West and Estell, 2006) Therefore, the popular belief of the Mozart effect is up for debate.
Music is proved to also have positive effects on patients with brain trauma. “The modality of music therapy attempts to utilize the nonverbal and often nonthreatening nature of music to provide a safe place to express the inexpressible.” (McClary, 2007) Brain damage often impairs a patient’s ability to speak and express language, but music serves as another medium of communication. A study conducted by Sangeetha Nayak, Barbara L. Wheeler, Samuel C. Shiflett, and Sandra Agostinelli investigated the effectiveness of music therapy on patients with acute traumatic brain damage and/or had suffered a stroke. Eighteen patients were studied and split into two groups: standard rehabilitation treatment alone (the control group) or standard rehabilitation along with music therapy (the experimental group). Therapists, family members and the patients themselves were asked to rate their mood using a scale of seven different faces ranging from happy to very sad with a higher score indicating more depression. “The results of this study indicate that music therapy had a positive effect on social and behavioral outcomes and showed some encouraging trends with respect to mood.” (Nayak, Wheeler, Shiflett and Agostinelli, 2000)
Music not only is appreciable for its pleasurable qualities but also benefits communication and rehabilitation in patients with brain injury. Music therapy has proven to be effective in treating neurological disorders and becomes more popular each year. For those of us without neurological or personality disorders music still puts a smile on our faces and motivates us through our hectic (sometimes crazy) lives. It serves as a friend always there when a pick me up is needed. Just press play, relax, and let the calming effects take over your brain.
References
Godcher, S. (2002, Spring). Berklee Beat: Musical "Chills" among Topics of Music Therapy Symposium. BERKLEE | Berklee College
Jones, M. H., West, S. D., & Estell, D. B. (2006). The Mozart effect: Arousal, preference, and spatial performance. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, S(1), 26-32. doi: 10.1037/1931-3896.S.1.26
Kalat, J. W. (2009). Biological psychology. Belmont , CA : Wadsworth
McClary, R. (2007). Healing the psyche through music, myth, and ritual. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 1(3), 155-159. doi: 10.1037/1931-3896.1.3.155
Nayak, S., Wheeler, B. L., Shiflett, S. C., & Agostinelli, S. (2000). Effect of music therapy on mood and social interaction among individuals with acute traumatic brain injury and stroke. Rehabilitation Psychology, 45(3), 274-283. doi: 10.1037//0090-5550.45.3.274
Sack, K. (1998, January 15). Georgia
No comments:
Post a Comment