Music, the mind
and our health
Music has the power to make us feel a myriad of emotions; it can make us laugh, move us and even make us cry. But why?
Wherever you look these days, it feels like everyone is plugged into a wireless headset.
At the office, on the train, at home, at the checkout, these ear canal accessories are the lifeline to our music, entertainment and conversations.
And there’s no wonder we carry this gateway to our amusement in our back pockets. Findings show that, globally, we listen to more than 20 hours of music every week.
Meanwhile, 65% of Brits enjoy a dulcet tune daily, and only 2% people in the UK listen to music less than weekly. It’s fair to say, the average Brit will spend a lot of their time listening to music – with or without a tiny gizmo.
Whatever your gadget of choice, the truth is, you’re doing something good for your brain. Researchers at John Hopkins cite that few things stimulate the brain the way that music does.
According to the findings, music is “structural, mathematical and architectural”, triggering a lot of computing to make sense of the vibrations being transmitted to our brain.
This, in turn, helps exercise the brain and boost cognitive function, and reduce anxiety, improve mood, alertness and memory.
Music also stimulates the limbic system – responsible for emotion – and the motor cortex, which controls our movement.
Your mood and music
On that note... have you ever been moved to tears by a song? Found yourself with goose bumps when you hear a tune?
Birth playlists are a thing, and music is a tool used by athletes to enhance performance – but why?
Music has the power to influence the levels of dopamine and serotonin in the brain, two critical neuromodulators that play a significant role in our mood and behaviour, or activate our parasympathetic nervous system – a network of nerves that relaxes the body after a period of stress-induced secretion of cortisol and adrenaline.
And this direct influence on our nervous system is what Dr Julia Jones, neuroscientist founder of Holidity and author of The Music Diet, explains as the reason for these physiological responses when we hear music.
“Sound and music are a fast-acting stimulus, providing the brain with information that helps it decide whether we are in an environment that is safe or potentially threatening to our survival,” she tells Vitality Magazine.
“The resulting electrochemical responses determine our emotions, actions and behaviour.”
So, what are some ways that we can use music to our advantage?
Music as a natural biohack
Marching percussions were an early form of music as a motivator. The primary function was to help soldiers keep in time with a beat while marching, but also to boost morale.
Having moved on from this era, Jones was privy to a more modern way that the military uses music to their advantage.
In the 90s, she witnessed US Navy SEALs using music as a natural biohack in order to manipulate and encourage a desired result from its soldiers.
“The elite military were using [music] to reduce anxiety, boost endurance, motivation, confidence,” she explains. After seeing this in action, she applied her findings to British Olympic squads training for major sporting events.
“And I have been using it ever since with elite sports clients, employers and the NHS. Music delivers marginal gains that can change an outcome.”
She adds: “This is a powerful tool for high performance as it enables the listener to reach a stimulated but controlled and focused meditative state. We’ve used this bioengineered technique across multiple genres so listeners can match this training practice with their preferred music taste.”
Today, athletes often use music to reduce stress and anxiety before, during and after training or competitions.
Findings show that it has ergogenic benefits, a term experts use to describe improvements in athletic performance, during varying exercises, be it endurance, running or resistance-based activities.
Vitality Ambassadors find their rhythm
Nat Sciver-Brunt, England cricketer
“Music definitely helps me to get into the zone before a game, and actually get my head out of it too, so I’m not over thinking too much. It’s hugely motivating. In the past I’ve been in charge of the playlist before the game with the team and we each put a song on to get us going. It’s so much fun and great to get us all ready to go on the field.”
