The positive effects of music on our mental health are profound and transformative. Music is a powerful tool that has the ability to touch the depths of our souls, evoke strong emotions, and provide comfort and solace in times of need.
There have been numerous studies around the psychological effects of music on our brains, with results showing the positive impacts listening to music has on our mood, behaviour, and feelings. In this age of increasing mental health awareness, music is an invaluable tool that supports and improves our well-being.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, concerns around mental health were at the forefront. As people grappled with the isolation and uncertainties of the pandemic, music emerged as a powerful tool to remedy the emotional and mental strains. Whether it was finding comfort in familiar tunes, discovering new artists and genres, learning a new instrument, or writing a new song, music became a trusted companion for people wanting to cope and heal during stressful times.
To learn more about how music helped people get through the pandemic, read this Verywell report.
Now, let’s take a look at some of the positive impacts music has on our mental health.
1. Music reduces stress, anxiety, and depression
Music is known to be a therapeutic tool that can reduce feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. Studies show that listening to calming music can have a positive effect on reducing stress hormones like cortisol in the body. While calming and classical music is proven to relieve stress, listening to your favourite song works just as well.
Due to the impact music has on our mental health, the use of musical therapy to treat anxiety and depression has gained popularity over the years. Music therapy has been proven to be effective in encouraging positive changes in mood and mental health. Music therapy includes listening to music, creating music with instruments, singing, dancing and moving to the music.
To learn more about the role of music therapy and mental health, check out this Ted Talk about how music today and throughout history has helped mental wellness.
Browse our [ directory ] to find speakers, presenters and educators in the music industry.
2. Music elevates mood
Music has the ability to enhance our mood and happiness and invoke positive emotions. Music can boost the brain’s production of the hormone dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure, satisfaction, and reward. This dopamine release can create a sense of joy, uplift our mood, and contribute to an overall sense of well-being. This, in turn, can help reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.
3. Music can help express emotions
Music can also help us get in tune with our emotions. Whether we’re sad, happy, or angry, the right song can help us channel these emotions and frustrations. In other words, the songs we listen to reflect our mood and speak our emotions, much like writing our thoughts down. For many musicians, listening to music may be replaced by playing an instrument or writing a musical composition. Regardless if you listen to a song or play one on an instrument, people turn to music to express their emotions.
Are you curious to explore the emotions evoked by different songs? Give this a try: click the video on the right and listen to a few songs. Next, take a moment to reflect on what you heard, imagined, and felt throughout the songs.
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