Music Soothes the Soul...and So Much More
If I told you there is something that could reduce chronic pain, improve your mood, decrease blood pressure, help stroke recovery, lower your heart rate, calm you down, boost your immunity and enhance your ability to learn, would you be interested?
What if I told you that it is free and does not involve medication? Now I have your interest! There is something that will do all of the above and is also quite enjoyable.
It is music!
Studies in England have found that music can reduce chronic pain from diseases such as rheumatoid and osteoarthritis by 21% and depression by 25%. Research in Italy reveals that listening to Celtic, classical, or Indian (raga) music for 30 minutes a day can significantly lower blood pressure. Researchers in Finland found stroke victims who listened to music for 2 hours a day showed marked improvement in memory and attention span.
In another study, researchers found that students’ heart rates synced up to the speed of music they were played regardless of the musical style and their interest (or not) in it. If the music was lively, their hearts sped up. If the music slowed down, so did their heart rates. Slow music, then, can produce an additional calming, immune- and mood-boosting effect by lowering cortisol levels and increasing hormones that improve the immune response and raise endorphin levels.
If that’s not enough good news about music, here’s more: Have you heard about the Mozart effect, where listening to Mozart’s music enhances learning? Baroque music, with a 60 beat per minute pattern, particularly activates both the right and left side of the brain. This enables the brain to process information more easily. It also improves recall of information when a particular tune is used during studying and then replayed.
Turns out that music is a universal language appealing to all of us while enhancing learning and healing. And it’s a bargain! As medical costs continue to skyrocket, it is nice to know that there is something enjoyable and therapeutic we can do in addition to your regular preventive evaluation and treatments to improve our health!
“I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.” ~ Billy Joel
Article Source: https://www.sharecare.com/health/alternative-medicines/article/music-really-does-soothe-the-soul-and-so-much-more
Image Source: https://res-5.cloudinary.com/sharecare/image/upload/c_fill,f_auto,h_340,w_600/v1/articles/music-really-does-soothe-the-soul-and-so-much-more
VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. Chronic (adj.) - constant habitual inveterate.
2. Sync (v.) – to occur at the same time or rate
3. Cortisol (n.) - one of several steroid hormones produced by the adrenal cortex.
4. Appealing (adj.) - evoking or attracting interest.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. What are the examples in the article about how music benefits people?
2. Do you believe that listening to music can affect your health? Why?
3. What do you think music can do to a person’s personality and behavior?
4. Can music change your emotions? In what ways?
