‘Music expresses that which cannot be put into words, and that which cannot remain silent.’ – Victor Huge
At every instance, there is a beat, a rhythm, a note that surrounds us – it’s the music of the world. Sure, we now have structured genres and styles, but at the core of it all is world music, and that’s the philosophy with which June 21 is celebrated as Fête de la Musique, or as it is more popularly known World Music Day.
Below are effects of music on body, mind and soul.
Music improves visual and verbal skills
Music makes the friendship better
It has been found that the verbal and visual skills are improved when an individual practice on the piano. This was found in the study of individuals aged between 8 and 11 who were able to develop a higher level of IQ verbally when they took music classes that were extracurricular.
This showed that the practice of the musical instrument developed visual and cognitive perception.
A sense of the chills
That music that really speaks to you
One may often feel a chill down the back of the spine when they are listening to music that they enjoy. This was found in a study that showed that over 90% of us had felt this.
Whether you feel it or not all depends on your personality and those who have a sense of being open to experience are more likely to feel this chill.
Keeps an ageing brain healthy
Music is enjoyed by people of all ages
Research has shown that having musical training and listening to or playing music in old age can help keep the brain healthy especially as it ages.
Since listening to music is like exercising the brain, one can expect the benefits of better memory and mental sharpness as they age.
Heart disease can be treated by music
And make your smiles come from within
Anxiety and stress is one of the main causes of heart disease and a study showed that when music was enjoyed by over 1500 patients, it reduced the blood pressure and heart rate that lead to anxiety and heart disease. (a 2009 study by Dileo and Bradt).
The ability that sad music has to make us happy
Truly happy
Sad music has the ability of allowing us to manage our moods, and we will often listen to the music. This leads to a cathartic effect on us which results in an improved mood.
The ability that music has at restoring vision
Music is therapeutic
When an individual has a stroke it is often the case that the visual part of the brain is damaged. The patient may then not be aware of certain objects and may have trouble seeing them.
Studies have shown however, that when these patients listen to their favorite music, the vision was restored.
Improves sleep quality
The kind of feeling that’ll make you miss your busstop
Some of the most common things to interfere with sleep are stress and anxiety (heart rates.) Since music has the ability to affect both in a positive way, research has found that listening to music at various times promotes better sleep patterns for people and even created more restful sleeps.
Babies love music
DJ Khaled and Asahd
It has been found that individuals who are only five months old will respond to music in a rhythmic way and connect with it more so than speech.
Zentner and Earola conducted a study in 2010 that showed that babies will dance in a spontaneous way to different music and will enjoy it by smiling.
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