Sit back, put on your headphones find a favorite song or artist and have a read.
I listened to some of my favorite oldies today – not like The Beatles or Journey “oldies” more like, the songs that brought back strong emotional memories. Memories only I would ever know of and understand the meanings of. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Mr. Bojangles came on my playlist this morning and immediately brought tears to my eyes for what reason I mostly cannot explain, but I do know that I spent a great deal of time with my dad trying to learn how to play Mr. Bojangles on the piano when I was very young after listening to it on constant repeat for the majority of my childhood. He would want me to sing when I could not play, and I would want to play and him to sing at other times. I always wonder what songs like those were written about: songs that seem to have lots of little details and go on forever. Was it a true story? That might make me cry even more.
I think that you can fall in love with a melody in an instant. You know you’ll always love it, and remember it, even search for it just to hear it one more time (I have gone to record stores and hummed numerous tunes to old guys just to find music that I wanted to buy – this was before Google, obviously). But I think that if you’re truly in love with a song, you can never get tired of it. You listen to it over and over again. Break it down verse by verse, word by word – hopefully understanding the artists meaning – and then again separating each instrument and listening to each note. Appreciating every silence like a calm before a storm, awaiting the best part of the song.
Then I asked myself some questions. I’m sure most of you have wondered the same things –
“Why do songs sometimes take me back?”
“If you haven’t heard a song in years the neural tapestry representing that song stays purer and the song will evoke stronger specific memories of a time and place from your past.” Memories connected to over played songs become diluted because the neural network is constantly being updated. Listening to music highlights specific brain regions linked to autobiographical memories and emotions activated by familiar music (more so even than verbal prompts). This has even been demonstrated in small studies where familiar music has elicited strong responses from participants with Alzheimer’s disease. Author, Petr Janata, who worked on the study said, “…it calls back memories…you can see the association between music and memories…”
“Why is it that sometimes I feel sad when I listen to some music, and other times I listen to “depressing” music and don’t feel sad at all?”
Perceived vs. Felt emotions:
This explains why some of us enjoy listening to sad music, and it does not depress us. We don’t form a true emotional attachment to music because we know it cannot actually put us in real harm, therefore “we can perceive the emotions presented” in the music (like creepy horror music), yet not really feel the emotions for ourselves.
“Why do I prefer some genres over others?”
The music we listen to is linked to our emotions. Using an MRI, neurologist Oliver Sacks was able to show how “different types of music activates the brain at varying intensities”. Sacks listened to two composers known to be of the same genre one he loves (Bach) and one he doesn’t like as much (Beethoven), allowing himself to reminisce – marking the places where his emotions ranged. Afterwards, looking at the MRI scans, Sacks says they do correlate with his true emotions “his brain was far more aroused during the Bach piece than the Beethoven piece”.
“Why does music make us feel the way we do?”
The best part about music is that no matter the genre, it is so universal it can give everyone so many different emotions! Depressing minor chords for when someone needs a sad and healing moment, popular catchy repetitive measures for cleaning or for exercise, uplifting notes for motivation when you’re on the road to recovery, or even many unexplainable emotions all at once. Music has a synchronized effect on people’s brains, no matter the emotion you feel. Music stimulates “regions that are involved in movement, planning, attention, & memory”
The Motor cortex and the Cerebellum allow our bodies to process movements; damage to these areas would tragically mean the inability for a person to keep rhythm, play an instrument, and have steady movements in general.
The Prefrontal cortex handles a persons expectations, satisfactions, planning abilities and organization.
The Hippocampus converts short-term memories to long-term memories; aiding in developing memory and has a hand in quite a few other pathways as well.
“Why do certain types of music change the way I feel?”
Music is associated with enjoyable activities; parties, relaxation, sleep, or being active in general. Research has found that listening to music releases high amounts of dopamine, the “feel good hormone” – which is released during other pleasurable activities like eating food, or having sex. People use music the same way they would a drug: come home and reach for some Music to relax you, make you depressed if that’s what you’re looking for, or even motivate you. A lot of the times you already know just what songs to look for.
Studies: Kids, Adults, Exercise, & Intelligence
“Does Learning About Music at an Early Age Really Make That Much of a Difference?”
One study showed that learning music or how to play instruments as a child does more for you than one may think. It can,
- help auditory discrimination (fine tune your hearing)
- help fine motor skills (hands, mouth, etc. coordination)
Surprisingly, music training at a young age also helps with non-verbal reasoning skills, involving understanding analyzing visual information (identifying shapes and patterns). Audio and visual pathways cross in the brain and often rely on each other, especially in musical training.
“Is It Possible to Help My Other Senses Just by Listening to Music?”
A study has concluded that “…in stroke patients, improved visual attention was shown while listening to classical music”. I agree with Cooper, it is very interesting that music and/or noise can affect other “senses and abilities – in this case, vision”.
“Can Music Increase My Stamina?”
According to a study done in 1911, cyclists pedaled faster when listening to music than in silence. Why? Because the presentation of music to the brain competes for all other attention. Music can help us override those signals of fatigue, keep us going longer, “stronger”, even use our energy more efficiently. Finding the “right tempo-to-workout intensity” can help us exercise more efficiently by counting the bpm and letting ourselves fall into stride, effectively, also saving a person more oxygen.
Feeling, not Intelligence
Studies have shown that whether listening to classical genres or preferred genres, children or adults preformed better on tasks after listening to preferred music (which was more arousing and made them feel good), rather than a genre that was not preferred. These studies were done mostly to debunk the bandwagon-myth that parents are jumping onto about playing “smart music” for your child while young or even still in the womb. The results show that the tasks were completed accurately, to the best of a participants ability based on the way they felt after hearing a pleasing sound; whether that pleasing sound to one person is heavy metal or indie music. The study breaks the myth of a stereotyped”classical” music being linked with intelligence.
Evolution: “Did music help humans evolve?”
So, once upon a time humans were cave men, right? And eventually humans became apprised of their ability to bang sticks, clang the metals they had or blow air over strung-together grasses. What good did it do them? And why on Earth did they continue to make these noises? Were these noise makers so useful that we continued to make them, how did it even get this far? We now make instruments, recording equipment, even different genres – why do we continue to play on?
“…no matter your musical preference, music is unifying” Daniel Levitin, psychologist studying neuroscience and music at McGill University says that music led humans to social bonding & improved fitness (which all makes sense). Other researchers say that music helps to teach babies to learn languages, aides in memorization, knowledge or history (word of mouth stories/songs), even possibly to help people stay awake during shifts while watching for predators.
“How Much of the Brain Is REALLY Used to Process Music?”
It was concluded in a Finnish study using fMRIs that “listening to music activates wide networks of the brain…reveal[ing] complex dynamics & the way music affects us…” While listening to a piece of music rich in structure, the fMRI shows that music completely lights up the entire brain! Meaning humans use all cortexes & the majority of their brains to process music, not just one to two little areas.
Wow. Do you still have questions about how music is interpreted by the brain? Were my questions similar to yours?
Music is a sacred part of my life. I dedicate a lot of my life and time to it, and still – there is a void that needs to be filled with MORE MUSIC. The best part of music is that there are so many complex things going on in my brain just to interpret it, that it will always stay a blissful mystery to me as to how music is truly broken down, no matter how much I am in love with it.
Wondering more about how your memories are connected to the music you love? Take a look at Christopher Bergland’s article, Why Do Songs From Your Past Evoke Such Vivid Memories?
Want to learn more about music and how it effects your brain while doing some of the things discussed in this blog? Follow the link provided to Belle Beth Cooper’s article, The Surprising Science Behind What Music Does to Our Brains.
If you want to learn more about how music acts like a drug, and some pretty interesting studies, check out Lecia Bushak‘s article, This Is Your Brain On Music: How Our Brains Process Melodies That Pull on Our Heartstrings.
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