How music can benefit your wellness

It may feel like magic but it’s actually really amazing how music can make a person’s mood better. Case in point, when you listen to your favourite song, you’ll suddenly feel energised and happy and sometimes, associate the tune to a special event in your life.

We may never understand why music impacts our mental and emotional states but according to the researchers from the University of California, “… listening to music helps organise the firing of nerve cells in the right half of the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain responsible for higher functions.” Furthermore, the study mentions that music acts as an exercise “… that warms up selected brain cells, allowing them to process information more efficiently.”

With this finding, it is safe to say that music is good for everyone. By listening to music, you can:

• Lower stress levels. People who listen to a playlist that they’ve chosen feel calmer and more relaxed especially when faced with a difficult situation, like for instance, a surgery or an interview.
  Relax your mind. Music also has meditative properties. Simply focussing on the beats can bring a sense of peace to your brain.
• Trigger creativity. Because music warms up some of our most important brain cells, going through a creative process is easier, faster, and more productive.
• Incite nostalgia. It’s mind-blowing how certain songs bring power over our emotions. We are often reminded of our younger years and some special memories that come along with it. It’s all scientific. In a study at the University of Leeds, researchers found that “… not all our memories are created equal: the ones we reserve from our formative teenage years, as well as those from our early twenties, are the ones we return to and cherish the most.” Songs, included.
• Make you feel happy. The rhythm, melody, and beat you hear from a song all send a signal to our brain to produce dopamine to make you feel joyful.

Listening to music indeed offers many self-care benefits to a person. As it soothes the body, mind, and soul, playing good music regularly should be something that you should do.

Find more self-care tips and advice at www.thepeoplesinc.org.