What music does to our brain

Music is a versatile and pleasant way to express ourselves. Many people go on listening and playing music, unknown about its effects on the brain. However, through our own experiences, it may be no surprise that research has shown that music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure and pain, while also improving sleep quality, cognitive and motor skills and neurogenesis (the brain’s ability to produce neurones). Additionally, it stimulates our creativity and strengthens our memory, as well as assisting people with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

When music is produced through a stereo system, its sound vibrations travel through the air into the ear canal and eventually the eardrum, where it is converted into an electrical signal. The electrical signal then travels through the auditory nerve and into the brain stem, where it is interpreted as music. Following this process, music activates all parts of the brain, keeping the broadest and most diverse parts of the brain active and engaged, therefore strengthening it. All these activated networks have different functions, and as a result allow for different effects on the brain.

For example, the hippocampus produces and retrieves memories and regulates emotional responses. Moreover, it is considered the central processing unit of the brain and one of the main regions of the brain affected by Alzheimer’s disease (creates confusion and memory loss). Therefore, listening to music increases neurogenesis in the hippocampus, allowing production of neurones, improving memory and mitigating the chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

There are many more benefits of listening to music in the brain, and the ones listed above are just to name a few. Hence, we should start incorporating music into our daily lives, such as listening to your favourite tunes when appropriate, rediscovering older, liked songs or learning a new instrument. These small activities may seem simple, but they stimulate the brain and provide many benefits to the individual, both physically and mentally.