Different types of music
Music has been proven as beneficial for both the body and the mind, but the debate remains about if all kinds of music are beneficial. Another common question about different types of music is if you can benefit more from certain types of music than others.
It has been proven that playing exciting music (fast tempo, dramatic content) for long periods is probably not healthy because it leads to cortisol and noradrenaline production without the actually occurring fight or flight action - unless you’re actually dancing, running or fighting. Long term overdose with those hormones is known to create many health problems, from depression to sexual dysfunction.
Research shows that listening to music that stresses you or communicates negative emotion is probably not good for you while listening to music that de-stresses you, helps you to think or communicates positive emotion is probably good for you. While experts like Tomatis claim baroque music like Mozart, or calming devotional music like Gregorian or Sanskrit chant, or all sorts of ambient or new age music as generally beneficial, either for calming and de-stressing or for helping in studying, there are certainly plenty of people who would hate those genres and therefore get stressed by having to listen to it, so it would probably not be very beneficial. In fact, in the UK there have been successful attempts to drive groups of youths away from places they were gathering in using classical music.
It has been proven that playing exciting music (fast tempo, dramatic content) for long periods is probably not healthy because it leads to cortisol and noradrenaline production without the actually occurring fight or flight action - unless you’re actually dancing, running or fighting. Long term overdose with those hormones is known to create many health problems, from depression to sexual dysfunction.
Research shows that listening to music that stresses you or communicates negative emotion is probably not good for you while listening to music that de-stresses you, helps you to think or communicates positive emotion is probably good for you. While experts like Tomatis claim baroque music like Mozart, or calming devotional music like Gregorian or Sanskrit chant, or all sorts of ambient or new age music as generally beneficial, either for calming and de-stressing or for helping in studying, there are certainly plenty of people who would hate those genres and therefore get stressed by having to listen to it, so it would probably not be very beneficial. In fact, in the UK there have been successful attempts to drive groups of youths away from places they were gathering in using classical music.
While there are certain trends (fast, upbeat music for exercising and slower-paced music to relax, for example), choosing songs that have the best benefits is often linked to personal preference. “The effect of different types of music on mood will largely depend on people's individual preference and experience,” says Bridget O'Connell, head of information at the mental health charity Mind. “If you grow up with rock music, you might not find classical music uplifting at all. On the flipside, some people can't bear rock music, so they are more likely to be wound up than uplifted.” Dr. Victoria Williamson, lecturer in psychology at Goldsmith's College, London says, “Music can also invoke particular memories for people, including some that could potentially make them upset. On the other hand, it could also bring them out of a severely withdrawn state or act as a form of communication in place of words.” There are some basic rules though, Dr. Williamson admits. “For a general rule, if you want to relax you should choose songs with slower tempo, less key changes and more predictable structure.”
While the amount a type of music benefits you seems quite relevant off the fact if you enjoy it or not, research has shown certain types of music, especially heavy metal, to be worse for people than others. Many experts suggest that aggressive, loud music (they usually choose heavy metal) is bad for you, mainly psychologically; it's been statistically linked with increased rates of depression and suicidal behavior in several papers. Because music transmits emotion so well, it makes sense that it may not be psychologically healthy to listen to a lot of music that’s made with negative emotion. For example, listening to a lot of rap or death metal may not be healthy in the long run because much of it contains a large amount of anger, which you will receive and resonate with; most people would say it’s unhealthy to feel anger, or any other strong emotional stress, too often.
Just as certain types of music, such as heavy metal, can have rather negative effects on you in the long run, there are other types of music that can provide a lot of benefits, especially if you enjoy them. The most beneficial type of music is classical music, according to the Stanford study "The Rewards of Music Listening: Response and Physiological Connectivity of the Mesolimbic System”. Many other experts and studies prove the same fact. When you listen to classical music, blood flow increases to several brain areas, activating the autonomic, cognitive, and emotional centers, while another area of the brain releases dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical that, among other things, affects mood and the ability to feel pleasure. This dopamine release, occurring as the other brain areas interact, allows an enhanced sense of well-being. This benefit of listening to classical music can help with the understanding of disorders such as depression and bipolarity and schizophrenia.
Studies have linked classical music to increase learning capabilities, lowered blood pressure, pain management, and stress reduction. One reason for this is that music affects our autonomic nervous system. This is the section of the nervous system that controls those things that just happen in our body without us even thinking about them – your heart beating, your brain working, for example. This system will respond to the music without you even focusing on it.
Classical music can help reduce pain and anxiety. Researchers at Duke Cancer Institute found that wearing noise-canceling headphones playing classical music reduced the pain and anxiety of a biopsy. Usually, this type of surgery causes a spike in diastolic blood pressure as the result of stress and anxiety, but in the people who listened to the music, there was no such spike. Furthermore, those who wore headphones reported significantly less pain associated with the procedure.
Classical music can help reduce pain and anxiety. Researchers at Duke Cancer Institute found that wearing noise-canceling headphones playing classical music reduced the pain and anxiety of a biopsy. Usually, this type of surgery causes a spike in diastolic blood pressure as the result of stress and anxiety, but in the people who listened to the music, there was no such spike. Furthermore, those who wore headphones reported significantly less pain associated with the procedure.
Classical music can lower blood pressure. Research has also shown that classical music can have a big effect on your stress levels and through that, your blood pressure. A University of San Diego study compared changes in blood pressure in people who were asked to listen to classical, jazz, or pop music. Those who listened to classical music had significantly lower systolic (the phase of the heartbeat when the heart muscle contracts and pumps blood from the chambers into the arteries) blood pressure levels after the experiment when compared to participants who heard no music at all or were assigned to other types of music.
Classical music is the most helpful type of music for health. A team of researchers at the University of Toronto found that even insomniacs got help falling asleep by listening to some classical music before bedtime. The study showed that listening to classical music helped participants fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, even those who regularly wake up during the night. Classical music is an effective sleep aid because it uses rhythms and tonal patterns that create a meditative mood and slow brainwaves. The most effective pieces in getting participants to sleep were works by Brahms, Handel, Mozart, Strauss, and Bach. Mozart's music also benefits the brains of some epilepsy patients, studies have shown. The study’s participants included a coma patient and a child that had many seizures in an average day. The research showed a significant improvement for many of the patients who listened to Mozart. The child, for example, saw a large drop in the number and length of her seizures.
Classical music is the most helpful type of music for health. A team of researchers at the University of Toronto found that even insomniacs got help falling asleep by listening to some classical music before bedtime. The study showed that listening to classical music helped participants fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, even those who regularly wake up during the night. Classical music is an effective sleep aid because it uses rhythms and tonal patterns that create a meditative mood and slow brainwaves. The most effective pieces in getting participants to sleep were works by Brahms, Handel, Mozart, Strauss, and Bach. Mozart's music also benefits the brains of some epilepsy patients, studies have shown. The study’s participants included a coma patient and a child that had many seizures in an average day. The research showed a significant improvement for many of the patients who listened to Mozart. The child, for example, saw a large drop in the number and length of her seizures.
Classical music can actually alter brainwaves. When children’s brainwaves were monitored by an electroencephalogram (EEG), Russian scientists found a significant difference between those who listened to music and those who didn’t. The study, published in Human Physiology in 1996, showed that the group of children who listened to classical music for one hour a day over six months displayed changes in the alpha rhythm frequency band and greater coherence between different regions of the cerebral cortex (This part of the brain is the outer part of the cerebrum. The cerebral cortex is responsible for determining intelligence, determining personality, motor function, planning and organization, and touch sensation.), both showing higher levels of relaxation. More surprising is that these changes in the brain and brainwaves happened in a situation where children were not required to pay attention to the music.
Classical music can actually help with brain development in children. In a study led by Dr. Gordon Shaw of the University of California-Irvine, it was found that infants who listened to Mozart and then studied piano as children scored higher than other children in math. Other studies have found that listening to music and practicing music can help children develop spatial and verbal skills and can also help with self-control.
Classical music can actually help with brain development in children. In a study led by Dr. Gordon Shaw of the University of California-Irvine, it was found that infants who listened to Mozart and then studied piano as children scored higher than other children in math. Other studies have found that listening to music and practicing music can help children develop spatial and verbal skills and can also help with self-control.
Classical music can even help babies grow! Premature babies need all the help they can get to grow faster and studies done in Tel Aviv suggest that music could be one of the most helpful things for helping these babies grow up to be strong and healthy. Dr. Dror Mandel and Dr. Ronit Lubetzky at Tel Aviv University played half an hour of Mozart every day to premature babies, with amazing results. The babies who listened to the music grew much faster than those who weren’t listening to the music. The researchers still aren’t sure what is causing the effect, but they think it has to do with the calming effects of classical music, which can help reduce stress and boost the immune systems of listeners even as young as babies.
Other types of music also have proven benefits-for example, rock is shown to help with identification-and they can even have some of the same benefits that classical music does. However, classical music has shown to have the most benefits on listeners, not to mention, the most significant benefits.
Other types of music also have proven benefits-for example, rock is shown to help with identification-and they can even have some of the same benefits that classical music does. However, classical music has shown to have the most benefits on listeners, not to mention, the most significant benefits.