Crank up those favourite tunes (to a safe volume for your ears!), because music can help make you healthier – both mentally and physically.
Researchers have found that music can help generate positive effects on brain chemistry and several other studies have shown that music has many benefits to our physical and emotional wellbeing.
Here are some ways music can amp up your life:
#1 Better mood
Ok, no surprises here! The reason why music can improve your health is simple – happier people are generally healthier or less affected by illnesses. You can uplift your mood to become happier when you listen to cheerful, upbeat music as opposed to sad, gloomy music.
#2 Stronger mental capacity
The next time you have a test to study for, consider breaking out a different style of music than what you’d usually listen to, but which could have great results! A fascinating simple study found that uplifting concertos, such as Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons , can boost mental alertness. In the study, the first movement showed a capability of enhancing attention and memory.
#3 Cardiovascular health
Music can help your heart by having positive effects on your cardiovascular health. If you’re enjoying listening to music, whatever type it is, endorphins are released in your brain, which elevates your mood, reduces stress and in turn, improves cardiovascular health.
#4 Improved listening skills
Believe it or not, if you are learning to play an instrument, you are likely to be better at recognizing complex sounds than your friends who aren’t learning an instrument at all. A study found that adults who had up to five years of musical training as children, have stronger brain responses to complex sounds compared to peers with no musical training.
Photo by Abigail Lee – a top 20 winner from our ‘loving life’ photo contest!