Find out how music can affect your mood and emotions!
Hello, Cocoonettes! Let's talk music and mental health!
Listening to music helps organize the firing of nerve cells in the right half of the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain responsible for higher functions. According to this construct, music — or at least some forms — acts as an "exercise" that warms up selected brain cells, allowing them to process information more efficiently. According to Cook, who created a TikTok video describing the relationships, music can improve the connection between your left and right brain. She encourages people of all ages to try playing music—not to become a high-performing musician but for their own brain development and health.
Music has allowed people to express their feelings and communicate with others in every era of human history and every society around the globe. More than simply expressing emotions, music can alter them. Music can have a profound effect on both the emotions and the body. Faster music can make you feel more alert and concentrate better. Upbeat music can make you feel more optimistic about life. A slower tempo can quiet your mind and relax your muscles, making you feel soothed while releasing the day's stress. Music is effective for relaxation and stress management.
A 2016 study looked at the connection between music and anxiety by studying people who have a fear of heights. All participants were put in a virtual reality simulation of riding up nine floors in an elevator. One group listened to music during the experiment, and the other didn’t. The researchers found that the people who listened to music recovered faster from the stress of the experience than those who didn’t. And many studies have shown that listening to music can lower your blood pressure and heart rate (both spike when you’re stressed) and even lower stress hormones in your body.
When you want music to give you a break from what you’re going through, pick songs with a storyline different from your challenges. This can temporarily transport you elsewhere and give you a short break from your concerns, just like reading a good book.
