How Music Helps and Heals
Pop, country, rap, jazz, hip hop, rock, blues, Ed sheeran, Ariana Grande, Bob Dylan, Migos, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Beyoncé; no matter what genre or what artist, everybody enjoys the art of music;a part of our everyday lives. Whether you’re jamming out in the car on the way to work or singing in the shower, music has been a prevalent form of art for as long as we can remember.
We hear music all the time it almost becomes second nature to us. Sitting in the dentist office waiting patiently for your turn music plays through the speakers. Anytime you walk into a store you hear it in the background playing. We may not pay full attention to it but without it we may feel empty.
Music a powerful and riveting expression and can actually help and heal you. You would be shocked to know the effects it actually does have on your brain. Music releases endorphins in the brain and is being incorporated in rehabilitation centers across the globe! As stated in a Huffpost article, “Neuroscientists have discovered that listening to music heightens positive emotion through the reward centers of our brain, stimulating hits of dopamine that can make us feel good or even elated.”
As music can improve and help various parts of the brain, it can even help with a variety of disabilities and diseases. Music therapy was created after World War II. Doctors took note of positive changes and improvements when people came in to play for war veterans. Music therapy became well known and universities all over started to take on music therapy majors beginning with Michigan State University.
The major benefits of music are that it decreases anxiety and stress, it decreases depression, and it helps to manage Parkinson’s and Alzheimer's Disease. While it helps with major things such as a person undergoing surgery it can also help with little everyday situations as well. “I listen to music on my way to school everyday and it helps me get rid of any school nerves that day and it's a great start to what I have ahead of me” says senior, Toniann Rizzuto.
Music is also known for reducing side effects of therapy used for patients with cancer. According to the Harvard Health Publishing, “Listening to music reduces anxiety associated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It can also quell nausea and vomiting for patients receiving chemotherapy.”
So as we can see music heals and can help you with just about anything. If you haven’t already incorporated music into your life somehow it is highly suggested because you will notice a happy difference!