Mental health is a basic requirement for well-being, life satisfaction, and professional performance.
This resource is valuable and sometimes unbalanced during times of high stress. For musicians and creative professionals, their profession entails extraordinary challenges – competitive pressure, high physical and nervous demands, or financial insecurities.
Current surveys show how challenging this can be: On average, seven out of ten musicians have already experienced work-related mental stress.
The Corona period intensifies this mental stress and brings new difficulties with the experience of the lockdown and the Corona measures: Many creative people are currently confronted with existential worries and a lack of prospects, and the stage as a (working) place of self-expression and creative interaction with like-minded people and an audience is sorely missing – the end is still open.
Singing or playing an instrument is fun. Researchers have now found evidence that music also promotes health. Perhaps music could even prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths, they suspect.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe postulated that “every day one should hear at least one little song, read a good poem, see an excellent painting and (…) speak a few sensible words”.
Above all, listening to music or making it yourself improves mental health significantly and thus increases well-being and quality of life.
A new analysis has now been able to confirm what many music lovers experience every day empirically.
Seven studies examined music therapy and the effects of listening to music, eight analyzed singing, and one looked at the effects of gospel music.
The effects were similar, regardless of whether the participants sang, made music themselves, or listened to it.
Power Of Music
Are you letting the background music trickle you down, or are you listening to loud sounds via headphones?
Whether heard consciously or as banter in the background – music accompanies us in monotonous everyday life as well as during sports or particularly emotional moments. It has become an integral part of our lives and influences both body and psyche
You’re terribly mistaken if you’re thinking that your brain isn’t performing when you’re passively listening to music.
Your head is busy even then: there are different pitches, chords, and melodies that we unconsciously relate to each other.
But how do some people get goosebumps during Stairway to Heaven and others shed tears during Hallelujah?
From Ear To Brain
To understand the impact of music, we should start with the ear.
The music addresses both the cerebellum, responsible for our body movements and sense of balance, and the cerebrum, responsible for higher consciousness functions.
Not to forget – the limbic system regulates emotional processes and is involved in learning and memory formation.
Consequently, the enjoyment and artistic understanding of music are not possible without the participation of the limbic system.
The participation of the reward system also takes over the emotional processing of the music. Because these brain structures work independently of the conscious will, it is very difficult for us to evade the effects of music.
It is also known that speed and rhythm, particularly, have a particularly large influence on bodily functions such as the heartbeat.
Various studies have examined the relationship between music by great baroque and classical composers and cardiovascular responses.
In various studies, the music of JS Bach has shown a positive influence on blood pressure and heart rate – both in humans and animals.
For example, the participants in a study showed a significantly lower heart rate and reduced heart rate variability when they received Cantata No. 169 by JS Bach.
Music And Our Emotions
Not only does our heart react to music – sounds, rhythms, and melodies can also influence our feelings.
As already described, music addresses our limbic system and is directly connected to our memory.
This explains why a song can instantly bring us back to a situation, even if it was years ago. Or why we can relive our first lovesickness just by listening to an old CD.
In addition to the memories stored in our brain in connection with music, our body releases various hormones depending on the type of music, which can also increase our emotional experience.
Consequently, emotion is not inherent in music and does not affect us all in the same way. Rather, it is inside the person who hears the music.
The emergence of different emotions when listening to music is strongly based on our inner state of mind
The music only helps to reinforce this state and only captures emotional responses in people who have already experienced these emotions.
Lastly, music is the art that can touch us the most.
Even mere noises, which do not fall under the definition of music, can trigger strong emotions. For example, think of a chalk squeaking on the blackboard.
Hearing this sound causes discomfort for many and can even cause pain.
The latter points to the theme of music and health. In addition to the connection between emotions, mood, and music, various studies have demonstrated music’s effect on health.
Music And Health
A large number of studies report that our body and bodily functions, such as breathing, heart rate, or body tension, are influenced by music.
Music has also been shown to relax during pregnancy and childbirth. Music in the delivery room can have a relaxing, pain-relieving, and stress-reducing effect.
We now know the connection between music and our emotions and that music can positively affect our bodies and health. Finally, we now focus on the effect of music on sports.
How about you, are you one of those who do sports with earplugs and listen to loud music?
Below We Have Compiled Some Interesting Scientific Findings About The Effect Of Music In Sports For You.
Music And Sports
The rhythm and tempo of music have a significant impact on running speed, endurance, and recovery.
Consequently, playing appropriate music in terms of tempo and rhythm during endurance training is worthwhile, especially when running.
The pace and level of exertion must be adapted to the personal level of performance of the athlete.
In a study with runners, it was possible to use the music’s musical tempo and rhythm to increase the runners’ lap times in line with the tempo of the music.
According to the current state of research, listening to music can also positively affect recovery after a workout.
In sports, music has a positive effect on performance and recovery.
On the contrary, it has been shown to have positive psychological effects: athletes who train to music enjoy their training far more and find the training units more pleasant and less stressful.
Music: “Natural Doping”
A review of the studies available in the field from 2012 showed in the amateur sector, above all, less attention to the discomfort during intensive sports units and better achievement of the exertion as a result – thanks to music.
The increase in tolerance could mean an increase in performance (similar to chemical doping).
This fact can be viewed as natural “doping” via the neurohumoral interconnection of the limbic system with pain perception.
Accordingly, playing music at Ironman competitions and also for professional marathon participants is prohibited.
With your endurance training, you can improve your performance with the targeted use of music and still feel good and satisfied.
How Classical And Instrumental Music Affect Mental Health
Nietzsche said music was the youngest of all the arts back then.
But she is also one of the most powerful. Music is now an integral part of our everyday lives.
We hear them everywhere: in the car, in the shower, while riding a bike, or on the couch in the evening.
But classical and instrumental music enormously affects our psyche like nothing else.
Please read here about music’s influence on our brain, emotions, productivity, and children.
What Is The Difference Between Classical Music And Instrumental Music?
The term classic comes from the Latin word “classics” and means first-rate. This means classical music from the 18th and 19th centuries.
This genre developed particularly during the Enlightenment, known for liberty, equality, and fraternity ideals.
The composers of the time adopted these goals into their works.
Classical music was characterized above all by using classical instruments, which could be performed together with a choir. She was often defined as serious and demanding.
Among the most important composers representing classical music are Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, to name a few.
How Does Music Affect Our Brain?
Our cerebellum is responsible for our sense of balance and our cerebrum for sensory impressions. Music affects both hemispheres of the brain.
Since music greatly impacts our brains, it helps us remember certain things or moments.
Music also activates our reward system, and the neurotransmitter dopamine is released. This is responsible for our well-being and can awaken a feeling of joy in us when listening to our favorite song.
What Are The Effects Of Classical And Instrumental Music?
Music is an integral part of our everyday life.
We hear them in the car, at the gym, on the train, or at home. Thanks to her, we can influence our feelings, such as joy or sadness. It functions as a means of expressing our emotional world.
Classical music, in particular, can help us deal with our emotions better, as it usually does not contain any lyrics, and the melody is in the foreground.
It makes our pulse beat faster or slower. A euphoric sound can put a smile on our faces, while a melancholic sound can make us sad.
Music can have a huge impact on our body chemistry and release feel-good hormones in our bodies, which boosts our mood.
The dark areas of our souls are illuminated when we feel in tune with a musical work, making listening to a joyful experience.
We feel bliss, excitement, enjoyment, and a sense of hope and power.
Like happy music, sad music evokes an attraction and a sense of pleasure in us. Even if we tend to suppress our grief in everyday life, it is often and willingly released in connection with music.
The frequencies that enter our brain through our ears encourage the growth of our synapses, which brings about a change in emotions.
This makes it easier for us to transform stuck thought patterns. When going through a difficult time, melancholic melodies can help you connect with your emotions and thereby speed healing.
Many studies have also shown that listening to classical music can fight depression.
Relaxation
Cortisol is a hormone released by stress. This hormone tells the body to send more energy to our muscles.
However, this same energy is taken from other body areas, weakening our immune system if our immune system is not strong enough, the risk of getting sick increases exponentially.
Above all, listening to classical and instrumental music is said to lower the stress hormone cortisol and improve mood.
Many studies show that listening to classical music increases blood flow by 26%, laughter by 16%, and relaxation by 11%. Whereas blood pressure and heart rate drop, which in turn reduces anxiety and normalizes breathing.
Music helps us to switch off and forget the stressful everyday life for a certain time.
In addition, the body can be brought into a relaxed state more quickly, and health can be improved simultaneously. On the other hand, instrumental music is often used with depressed people to create a healing effect.
By listening to meditative music, anxiety can be reduced, leading to an improvement in the general quality of life.
Johann Sebastian Bach was already commissioned to compose a work for the sick Count Keyserlingk, which today bears the name Goldberg Variations, to achieve a therapeutic and healing effect.
Concentration
You can see more and more people, especially schoolchildren, students, and workers, studying or working, sitting in front of their laptops while listening to music.
Is that counterproductive, or does it result in higher productivity? Indeed, instrumental music with a slow beat and calm tones positively influence our concentration.
This type of music works so well because it doesn’t have lyrics that can distract you. Meditation music, for example, reduces stress, relaxes, and is, therefore, particularly suitable for increasing concentration.
This can be particularly helpful in the workplace, as it allows us to perform repetitive tasks more efficiently and easily. It also improves our accuracy and performance and increases productivity.
A study found that surgeons worked more accurately when relaxing music was playing in the background, and professional athletes often took the pressure off before an important game.
Enjoying classical music while working or studying relaxes our minds, stimulates our creativity, and helps us to be more focused and work efficiently.
Motivation
A musical composition consists of melody, harmony, and rhythm.
The melody is the part of the piece of music to hum along to. Harmony affects our emotional world and evokes happy, sad, or angry emotions in us, while rhythm is the speed of the piece of music.
The rhythm has been anchored in our body since birth in the form of the heartbeat.
Likewise, a song or melody has a rhythm, and a beat, which can affect human functions such as breathing, heartbeat, or walking. This explains why music can have a powerful effect on us, such as tapping our fingers while listening to a song.
Classical works like those of Beethoven, which are darker, faster, and more dramatic than others, are, therefore, particularly suitable for increasing the adrenaline level in the body.
This makes workouts at home or in the gym much more motivated.
When the rhythm in the song is increased, it boosts our energy levels while also increasing our stamina.
Loneliness
Music can induce a sense of community on days when we feel lonely. When we listen to classical music, we feel a certain emotion.
This emotion gives us a sense of connection with the composer and the feelings he wanted to express through the piece.
We sympathize and no longer feel alone with this emotion, which often increases our mood.
It validates our feelings and makes us feel connected to other people going through the same thing, so we don’t feel so alone anymore.
Now, listening to music with other people, like at a concert, strengthens our emotional bonds.
In addition, the feeling of connectedness with the crowd is much stronger than when you hear the song alone in your room. It is also not uncommon
How Does Music Affect Children?
In the 1990s, the so-called Mozart effect was very popular with many parents. Listening to Mozart’s works is said to have made children smarter.
The theory hasn’t been proven, but learning to play a musical instrument is said actually to improve children’s brain function.
Thirty minutes a day should ensure better blood flow in the left hemisphere of the brain and last a lifetime with regular lessons
. Exposure to classical music early has many benefits for the child and its growth. This improves his thought processes and empathy.
Creativity and language development should also be promoted. These qualities are of great advantage, especially at school. The child’s psyche also plays a major role.
Classical music increases thinking by up to 50% and attention by up to 30%.
In general, it can be said that the performance and intelligence of the child are improved and that it can also influence its emotions like adults.
The background is that both brain hemispheres are used and can act better together.
As with adults, music increases children’s social skills when they take guitar lessons with other children or sing together in a choir.
Conclusion
Classical music and instrumental music can be very diverse. It can both raise and lower our adrenaline levels. Whether we long for relaxation at home or motivation during sports, music can help us.
It is advisable to listen to meditation music to reduce stress, but if you want to run ten kilometers in the forest, you should rather fall back on Beethoven. The influence of music on our psyche is enormous.
Through them, we can increase our concentration and fight depression.
It can make our minds forget all troubles for a moment and bring calmness to our thoughts. In addition, classical pieces have a positive influence on the younger generation.