Listening to music can have a profound effect. These can range from inducing diverse emotions such as sadness and joy. Sad songs are known to bring sad emotion as well as tears; while joyful music can result in euphoric feelings. Melancholy music has power that can cause individuals to move in fascinating ways.
Research has shown that there is a correlation between generosity and happiness. When people are happy, they tend to be more generous and are likely to give, while the opposite happens when people are sad. By playing and listening to music, you become happier and more productive in every life stage.
Effects of Pro-Social Lyrics
Upbeat songs with happiness lyrics may have fewer impacts on personal behavior compared to pro-social lyrics that advocate helpfulness and kindness. Although these lyrics may be saccharine and sappy, there are known to have the capacity to alter one’s thinking as well as the way they act.
Studies have shown that people who listen to pro-social lyrics such as those advocating peace, tend to develop pro-social thought compared with individuals who listen to music with neutral lyrics.
Effects of Music on the Brain
Research shows listening to music has a significant impact on the human brain. Brain scans from musicians have shown a significant difference when compared with that of non-musicians. A musician’s mind is better connected and more sensitive. Also, they have a superior working memory, cognitive flexibility, and more enhanced auditory skills. Musicians’ brains have more substantial brain regions that are responsible for controlling motor and spatial coordination, as well as sensory processing.
Musicians and people who play a lot of music, tend to have a larger corpus callosum: the nerve fibers band that transmit information across the two brain hemispheres. This phenomenon indicates the two brain hemisphere communicates better with each other. Non-professional musicians listen to music for 32 hours a week on average. This time is enough to produce a significant effect on their brain.
Music Effects on Mood
Playing and listening to music reduces stress and can improve one’s mood. The result comes from the reduction of cortisol in the bloodstream, a hormone that controls stress. Music can make you feel more powerful, hopeful, and being more in control of your life. There are also benefits from listening to sad music. If you listen to sad music when you are undergoing a rough time, you tend to get more in touch with your emotions, which can help you to heal.
Music stimulates the production of some brain chemicals that affect our mood, such as dopamine. This brain neurotransmitter is increased by listening to music. The compound is the motivation molecule in the brain and is an entity of the pleasure and reward system. Also, dopamine plays a role in a feeling good mood, like the one experienced after eating chocolate, or when having an orgasm. Listening to a shuffled playlist increases our dopamine level in the brain as well, when our favorite song comes unexpectedly.