According to a report on BBC.com, a study published in Nature Neuroscience found that levels of dopamine increased by 9% when people listened to music they enjoyed. This study tells us about how and why music makes us feel so good. The release of dopamine makes us feel happy; this is just one of many benefits that come from listening to your favorite songs. Other positive effects may include reducing stress and anxiety, finding motivation, and even improving mood (health.harvard.edu).
To understand how these positive effects come from listening to music, people need to understand how dopamine functions and is released. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter created by the brain that plays a key role in the way the body functions. (my.clevelandclinic.org). Neurotransmitters send signals back and forth between nerve cells (my.clevelandclinic.org). These messages help the brain regulate bodily functions. Neurotransmitters help you move your legs and arms, feel sensations like happiness or pleasure, and perform many other functions you use every day. Dopamine is a type of neurotransmitter that helps with motivation, memory, learning, movement, sleep, pleasure, mood, and much more. When you feel pleasure or happiness, that’s because of dopamine.
The study reported in Nature Neuroscience was conducted by researchers from McGill University. They had said that it was the first time dopamine was studied in relation to music (BBC.com). Researchers used two different kinds of scans on volunteers during the study: a PET scan and an fMRI scan. These scans helped to observe volunteers’ brain activity through multiple sessions. Throughout the study, volunteers listened to music they enjoyed, music they were neutral about, and both at the same time. After the data was gathered, researchers concluded that there was more dopamine released when volunteers listened to music they enjoyed.
Besides the fact that it improves your mood, there are many more positive effects that come from listening to your favorite music. Music is a great tool for conserving or training memory. Music, and other kinds of memory are stored in a part of the central brain called the hippocampus (tmh.org). However, how does the hippocampus help with music specifically? Well, music can help to activate long term memories and remind us of things, people, and places. Music connects us to the nostalgia of looking back on our past. Music can also help to reduce stress and anxiety. A poll recorded by students at the University of Michigan found that 98% of older adults said they received some sort of health benefit from listening to music, 75% being stress or anxiety relief (ihpi.umich.edu). Stress levels are caused by excessive amounts of cortisol circling through your bloodstream. (ascap.com). Music can help to decrease cortisol production, therefore lowering levels of stress and anxiety.
In conclusion, music does much more than simply entertain. Music has benefits for our mental health whether it’s enhancing our mood, assisting with memory, or reducing stress. Music has an undeniable power to uplift spirits and make people feel better. Fast-paced music can make us feel energetic, slower music can help us feel calmer, and intense music makes us feel bold and powerful. No matter the style or genre, music is beneficial for many things, so keep listening!
