Music is a Moral Law
Music Can Change the World Because it Can Change People – Bono
Just in time for the festival that celebrates music, musicians and their audiences, we inherently know what science tells us, music is good for our brain.
In addition to activating almost all our brain networks, those that listen to music regularly have lower levels of depression, anxiety and a higher overall sense of well-being. When we are exposed to music at an early age, our brain health is considered better than not being exposed to music. Regularly engaging with music via listening or playing is correlated to feeling happier and cognitively more capable.
How is this possible? The auditory cortex is activated by music, which rests by the ears in the temporal lobes, and the emotional and memory centers of the brain are also synchronized. Notice the wave of feelings you may have when hearing certain music, similarly, to smelling something familiar from childhood that brings back memories. Our motor system is also energized by music, long before our physical movements follow of staying in rhythm to what we are listening to. Have you ever run faster or worked out harder when listening to the right music? Most of all it is important to keep listening.
Like our muscles, our brain needs our pathways to have a consistent workout which includes engaging in music on a regular basis (more live music, please)! Our brain is an efficient machine, just like practicing another language so you do not lose momentum, music can keep your brain strong, happy and healthy. While boosting the overall quality of our life, music plays a role in promoting our well-being as much as being social can, which is why social events that include music are a major factor in maximizing our health benefits from both.
If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music. – Albert Einstein
Music may be the number one mechanism to access memories, emotions and associations more than any other catalyst. While language activates specific thoughts, music is the best tool for accessing feelings. Have you also realized how many songs you know all the words to, and why when we need to remember something it is better when we can sing it? Specific child studies show we remember 90% of what we hear in music, 40% of what we read and 10% of what we are told. There a reason the chorus of a song is called the hook, the part you will remember the most from any given song. Music taps into the most primitive parts of our brain and finds a way to coordinate all the regions, harmoniously of course.
Music is a moral law. It gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, and life to everything. It is the essence of order, and leads to all that is good, just and beautiful, of which it is the invisible, but nevertheless dazzling, passionate, and eternal form (Plato).
