Cognitive Benefits/Facts:
- Did you experience chills running down your spine when listening to music? According to a study conducted by Nusbaum and Silvia (2010), the results show that more than 90 percent of people experience this. The intensity of musical effects is, however, is contingent on your personality. If you’re high in some of the 5 dimensions of nature known as ‘openness to experience’ is likely to experience the most chills enjoying songs (Nusbaum as well as Silvia, “Shivers and Timbres Personality and the Feeling of Chills from Music” Social Psychology & Personality Science 2010).
- A Stanford study has revealed that music stimulates brain regions that are engaged in keeping track of time, making predictions, and recalling events. (Baker, Mitzi. “Music causes the brain to be attentive, Stanford study finds.” Stanford Medicine. Accessed February 24, 2015).
- Similar to expert technical abilities, proficiency in the humanities and arts is related to a deeper comprehension of the language components (Trei, Lisa. “Musical training improves language processing as research suggests.” Stanford News. Accessed February 24, 2015).
- Musicians have better working memory when compared to those who aren’t musicians (Berti, and others. 2006. Pallesen and others., “Cognitive Control in Auditory Working Memory is Improved in Musicians,” PLOS One, June 15 and 15, 2010.).
- Music experiences can boost certain functions of the brain that are impaired by people with difficulties in learning or language, for example, the accuracy of the neural timing system that permits the differentiation of speech and syllables (Kraus, N. and B. Chandrasekaran Training in music for developing auditory abilities. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2010.11: p. 599-605.)
Social Benefits/Facts:
- Seven out of ten Americans (71 percent) believe that the lessons and practices of music education help people be more effective team players in their professional lives (July 2014 Harris Poll).
- People who are open to experiences have a higher likelihood to choose to play the piano and are more likely to think of music as essential to their lives (Nusbaum as well as Silvia, “Shivers and Timbres Personality and the Feeling of Chills from Music” Social Psychology & Personality Science 2010.).
- A review of 23 studies that covered more than 1,500 patients revealed that Music promotion in the background reduced blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety among patients with heart disease (Bradt and Dileo “Music to reduce anxiety and stress reduction in patients with coronary heart disease,” PubMed.Gov, 2009).
- In research conducted by Ferguson and Sheldon (2013), Participants who listen to upbeat music composed by Aaron Copland while actively trying to feel happier could feel more comfortable than those who were listening to music. This suggests that the act of engaging with music, instead of allowing it to flow over us, can give the experience a more significant emotional force (Ferguson, as well as Sheldon, “Trying to be happier, can work two studies of experimental research,” The Journal of Positive Psychology is dedicated to advancing research and encouraging the best practices in.
Health Benefits/Facts:
- The study on healthy male college students revealed that participants performed better when listening to fast music while cycling on stationary bikes. Additionally, they loved songs more (Scott Christ, “20 surprising, science-backed health benefits of music.
- One study showed that listening to soft music (and dimming lights) at mealtimes can aid in slowing down when eating, and eventually consume less food at one time (Scott Christ “20 astonishing, evidence-based health benefits of music” USA Today, December 17 13).
- Classical music has been found to help treat insomnia among university students (Scott Christ, “20 surprising, science-backed benefits of music for health,” USA Today, December 17 13th, 2013).
- Scientists have found that patients’ feelings while listening to music can have positive effects on blood vessel functioning. Music made participants feel happier and caused an increase in circulation of blood in their vessels (Scott Christ, “20 surprising, science-backed benefits of music for health.