I know what you’re thinking, that’s ridiculous. How does music make you better at everything? But if you really sit back and think about it, music makes you better across the board. Here’s six scientifically backed studies to prove how music affects your brain.
How music affects your brain
1. Makes you smarter
According to the American Psychology Agency:
The study involving the younger children found that each additional month of music lessons was accompanied by an increase in IQ of one-sixth of a point, such that six years of lessons was associated with an increase in IQ of 7.5 points, compared with children who did not have the same amount of musical instruction.
If you have kids or want kids or know of some kids, get them into music! It literally gives you a higher IQ than their non-musically inclined counter-parts.
2. Relieves pain
A study from the Euro PMC used oncology research as a backbone and found that:
The effect of the music on pain varied by individual; 75% had at least some response and 47% had a moderate or great response.
75% of those in the study had some response to music therapy! The effect that music has on the body is, without question, incredible. But when it can actually remove pain and assist in healing? Now we’re hitting different levels of awesome.
3. Helps memory
Psychology Today reported that,
People with more musical experience learned better with neutral music but tested better with pleasurable music. The opposite was true for people without music training.
What I get from reading this is that no matter how you look at it, music changes how those in this study memorize. Doesn’t that mean that music could most likely be tailored to make memory better for everyone?
4. Makes you work out harder
Nina Kraus, a professor of neurobiology at Northwestern University in Illinois, says on Elite Daily that:
If you choose music with higher BPMs, you are more likely to hit your target heart rate, increase your cardiovascular endurance, and burn more calories.
Another study, this one from the National Center for Biotechnology Information says that:
Music enhances performance and perceived enjoyment of sprint interval exercise.
So bottom line, you can work out without it, but when you line up music with your workout, you not only push yourself harder, but, because you’re enjoying the music, you actually trick your brain into thinking it likes it!
5. Gets your creative juices flowing
This one was an eye opener. Professor Petri Toiviainen from the University of Jyväskylä says on a study on Science Daily that:
Our results show for the first time how different musical features activate emotional, motor, and creative areas of the brain.
You know that moment when you’re in the shower, or taking a walk, or not thinking about a problem and BOOM, the answer comes? That’s what music can do. It lights up the parts of your brain to allow for breakthroughs like that.
6. Music straight up makes you happier
And finally, Sage Journals recently published a study on the subject, saying:
Engaging with music by dancing or attending musical events was associated with higher subjective well being than for those who did not engage with music in these forms.
Above all, this one is my favorite on the list. Music straight up makes you a happier person. How can you be better at anything without overall happiness? Answer: you can’t.
Tell me why YOU think music makes you better at anything on Twitter!
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