Everyone enjoys music, whether it be on the radio or through Spotify or Apple Music, music is everywhere. You’ve got your bad days where that specific song can turn everything back around, which begs the question: why do we enjoy music? What does it do for us? How do music and our mental health correlate?

According to a Harvard Study published in 2011, music is speculated to help organize the firing of the nerve cells on the right half of the cerebral cortex. In simpler terms, this means that scientists believe that music can help boost the cognitive functions of the brain. Meaning that it helps you perform better during times when you’re learning or processing information; it can also reduce stress levels to a certain extent. I am sure that I can speak for the majority when I say that music has helped me relax when I have experienced stressful situations. Pertaining to the same Harvard study, they gave one group of patients music to listen to of their choice and the other no music during a surgery. The results showed that both groups’ blood pressure rose to about 159/92 during the surgery, but the people that were provided with music to listen to had a rapid decrease in their blood pressure while the other group’s remained the same for a longer period of time. In a similar study, patients were allowed to choose the amount of sedative they received after surgery and those listening to selected music asked for a lesser dosage; meaning that the music acted as a sedative itself.

Music therapy also exists, created by Everett Thayer Gaston in the 20th century. Gaston is responsible for the development of a therapeutic practice that enhances the understanding of the emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) was founded in 1988, and it seeks to educate people about the benefits of music therapy and the purpose it serves for individuals. While we can probably deem music to relax us after a high-stress situation, the AMTA emphasizes that music therapy is much more complicated than that. According to their website, some examples of what credentialed music therapists do are lessening the effects of dementia, reducing asthma episodes, improving communication abilities for children with autism, working with hospital patients to reduce pain, and much more. You can visit their official website for more information: https://www.musictherapy.org/ 

Most people also listen to music when they visit the gym, that one song that gets your energy flowing and puts you in the right mindset to begin exercising. Big surprise, there is scientific evidence that demonstrates that music helps improve a person’s motivation during their workout. Research proves that listening to fast-paced music increases motivation and enhances performance. Sports psychologist C.I. Karageorghis says that, “music can improve athletic performance in two ways: it can either delay fatigue or increase work capacity.” Music also provides a distraction from the pain as a result of the workout. To put it shortly, make a workout playlist—it will definitely help you. 

After this, I hope you’ve grasped a greater understanding of the overall impact music can have in one’s life. Next time you listen to music aimlessly while rushing to finish that paper due at 12, you can understand what it actually does for you. Make sure you’ve got that fast-paced song playing and start typing.