Listening to music can be enjoyable, and some research suggests that it may even improve your health. Music can provide pleasure and contentment, but it also has numerous psychological benefits. Music can help people relax their minds, energize their bodies, and better manage their pain. But do you know how music helps improve your mental health?
Listening to your favorite music for 15 minutes daily reduces stress, anxiety, sadness, and depression.
Can Music Help Improve Cognitive Performance?
According to research, background music, or music played while the listener is primarily focused on another activity, can improve cognitive performance in older adults. According to one study, listening to more upbeat music improved processing speed, while positive and downbeat music improved memory.
So, the next time you’re working on a task, consider playing some music in the background to improve your mental performance. Consider using instrumental music instead of songs with complex lyrics, which may be more distracting. (Source: Very Well Mind)
Can Music Reduce Stress?
Music has long been thought to help reduce or manage stress. Consider the meditative music trend created to soothe the mind and induce relaxation. Fortunately, this is one research-backed trend. Listening to music can be an effective stress-reduction technique.
Participants in one 2013 study were randomly assigned to one of three conditions before being exposed to a stressor and taking a psychosocial stress test. Some participants listened to relaxing music, others heard the sound of rippling water, and the remaining participants received no auditory stimulation.
The findings suggested that music affected the human stress response, specifically the autonomic nervous system. Those who had listened to music recovered more quickly after a stressor. (Source: Very Well Mind)
Can Music Help with Your Diet?
One of music’s most surprising psychological benefits is that it may be a helpful tool for weight loss. If you’re trying to lose weight, listening to soothing music and dimming the lights may help you succeed.
According to the researchers, music and lighting can help create a more relaxed environment. Participants may have consumed their food more slowly and were more aware of when they began to feel full because they were more relaxed and comfortable.
You could put this into practice by listening to soft music while eating dinner at home. You may be more likely to eat slowly and thus feel fuller sooner if you create a relaxing environment. (Source: Very Well Mind)
How Can Music Be Utilized for Pain Management?
Music has been shown in studies to be very effective in the management of pain. One study of fibromyalgia patients discovered that listening to music for one hour a day reduced pain significantly more than the control group.
Participants who listened to music every day for four weeks experienced significant reductions in pain and depression at the end of the study. Such findings imply that music therapy could be a valuable tool in treating chronic pain. (Source: Very Well Mind)
Can Music Help with Sleep?
Insomnia is a serious condition that affects people of all ages. While there are numerous approaches to treating this condition, research has shown that listening to relaxing classical music can be a safe, effective, and cost-effective treatment. (Source: Very Well Mind)
How Does Music Help with Depression?
Researchers have also found music therapy to be a safe and effective treatment for various disorders, including depression. In one study, music therapy was found to be a safe and low-risk way to reduce depression and anxiety in patients suffering from neurological conditions such as dementia, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease. (Source: Very Well Mind)
Image from Psypost.Org