Most of us have some level of appreciation for music. We all have our own preferences when it comes to choosing what to listen to, and many of us will have different genres we prefer to listen to at different times of the day and during different activities. For example, some may prefer to listen to classical music when studying or working, and some may choose to listen to heavy rock when working out. A lot of research has been done about the impact of music on our minds and how a simple melody can have a profound impact on how we feel. This article will delve into the basic science of music and explore the benefits that it can have on your daily life.
The Science Of Sound
To understand how music works, we first need to take a step back and consider the science of sound. Sound is simply a vibration that creates an acoustic wave through a solid, liquid, or gas. The old adage “if a tree walls in the woods and there’s nobody around to hear it, does it still make a sound?” is easily answerable from a scientific perspective. The answer is most definitely a yes. Of course, for something to detect a sound or, in most cases, hear it, it will need a device that can convert those waves into data. Our eardrums do just that by receiving the acoustic waves and processing them into data with the help of our brains.
The Link Between Sound And Memory
As conscious beings, certain sounds can become attributed to certain events, and the same can occur for taste, touch, smell, and sight. These links can be subtle and subconscious or blatantly obvious. For example, as a baby, your parents may have sung a particular song to you regularly, and now whenever you hear that song, even if you don’t recall your parents singing it, it can drum up feelings of nostalgia and a longing for home. Whereas your and your partner’s favourite song being played at your wedding may transport your mind back to the first time you listened to it together, which would be an active, conscious memory.
How Music Can Impact Our Mood
You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone that doesn’t have a few different songs stored in their mind that can bring up some deeply profound emotions. Some songs can get us pumped up and ready to take on the world, some can instantly calm us down after a stressful day at work, and some can bring us to tears on hearing the first note. More often than not, these feelings are all generally positive, including those that cause us to have a sorrowful response, as these are generally related to memories of people and places we miss. This melancholic response is often sought after as a means to stir up these powerful emotions, even though it would seem logical to avoid them.
Types Of Music And Their Uses
When doing certain things or trying to do certain things, making use of different types of music can significantly improve your results. Here are a few of the different things you can use music for and how you can do this successfully:
- Focus – A common reason that many will employ certain types of music in their life is when they need to concentrate on their work. This is very common for students who struggle to keep their attention and focus on their studies and many professionals who deal with procrastination issues. But other than this, music can be used to help focus the mind on any task, whether it’s for work or play. Some professional gamers will listen to music to keep themselves calm and focused on the task at hand, especially when there is something big to play for. For example, the number one live casino UK has a huge number of people visiting daily and playing for real money. Staying focused on the game at hand, whether it’s roulette, blackjack, or you’re playing against other players in an online poker tournament, requires a significant level of focus to reduce your risk of losing real money.
- Relaxation – One of the more popular uses for music is to reduce stress levels and help the listener to relax. Calming and soothing music, as well as your favorite upbeat tracks, can all help you to forget about the stresses of the world and recenter yourself. When it comes to active relaxation practices such as meditation and yoga, many will choose to listen to soothing and calming instrumental music, which they may not listen to at other times in their life. This music is often uncomplicated and easily fades into the background, but it’s still directly impacting your physiology. Studies have shown that certain music can help to reduce our levels of the hormone known as cortisol which causes us to feel stressed. Calming music can be used in situations where stress levels are generally heightened, such as exams, before public events, and even during surgery. Naturally, calming music is also used by those who struggle to sleep, helping to keep the mind from focusing on concerns while diminishing cortisol in the body.
- Energy – You’ll also find many people who will use their music to boost energy and drive, ready for a specific task or simply to prepare them for the day ahead. High-octane, fast-tempo music is a common choice for those who need a bit of a boost, whether to get pumped up for an important meeting, a major social event, or an intense gym session. There are a number of benefits of listening to music while you exercise, so it’s highly recommended not to forget your headphones and have a good playlist ready. Music can stimulate your mind enough to elevate your mood and improve your determination, but it also works to distract you from negative thoughts and feelings. Working hard at the gym can often make us want to give up and head home, reasoning with ourselves that we’ve probably done enough now and we’d rather be doing something else. But music can shut out those thoughts and help us to power through, almost without thinking about it.
