Music is a powerful force. It can make you feel a rush of emotions, sometimes contradictory ones, in a matter of minutes. Why is the influence of music so prevalent? Well, there is no definite answer. Standford researchers have shown that while listening to a new piece of classical music, there are patterns of synchronized activity in several parts of the brain. However, none of these experiences are the exact same as another's. Another observation by McGill University neuroscience department shows that participants in a study experienced high levels of dopamine after listening to their favorite song. But oddly enough, this does not occur with animals. So scientists set out to determine exactly why humans love music so much.
In a brand-new experiment, researchers at McGill University used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to look at brain activity live while each participant listened to half a minute each of 60 unfamiliar songs. Then, the participants would choose how much of their own money they would be willing to spend to purchase the full-length songs with a price between $0 and $2. The ins and outs of this experiment are quite complicated, but researchers had to take into consideration each individual's personal taste in music and account for any bias due to past musical experiences. When viewing the brain waves, the researches saw the pleasure centers of the brain lit up. These centers are also activated during eating, gambling, and sex. Scientists discovered that connections between the nuclear accumbens and other brain areas were accurate predictors of how much each person would be willing to spend on a song. These areas included the amygdala, which is used for processing emotion, the hippocampus, which contributes to learning and memory, and the ventromedical prefrontal cortex, which is utilized in decision-making processes.
While this is interesting, what does it have to do with real-life issues? As it turns out, music can actually be used to treat mental illnesses. Because music affects the mood of the listener, it is often used for educational purposes and to stimulate creativity. The most researched conditions that have benefited from music therapy are autism, dementia, depression, and even insomnia. Additionally, infant development can benefit from music. Perhaps you have heard that babies should listen to Mozart in the womb? Well, there is actually some truth to this. Evidence shows that music played to babies in late term pregnancies may lead to benefits after birth. Babies exposed to music appear to be more relaxed, have increased appetites, spend less time in the hospital, gain weight, and tolerate stimulation. They also have lowered heart rates and show benefits of deep sleep after listening to music.
Jamming out in your car listening to your radio is a great feeling. But that is not where the benefits end. The field of music therapy is a fascinating subject. As we progress into the future, I hope scientists will continue to uncover why music is so healing to the soul. And for good measure (no pun intended), here is my favorite piece of classical music:
