Listen to more music.
Humans have been making music for thousands of years. There is evidence of instruments dating back 40,000 years! So you can see we have evolved with music. From a brain perspective, music is pretty incredible. It has unique was of activating large networks across the whole brain, not just a few specific spots. What does this mean for you? If music helps with whole brain activation, then in theory, it can help strengthen neural networks. More brain interconnectivity is a good thing! Music has been studied for it’s healing effects in many neurological diseases for this reason. Music is closely tied to your motor system, hence why movement and music go together like Oreo’s and ice cream. Moving to music can help you strengthen your connection to your body, it helps you connect your mind to your muscle. Music also activates your limbic system in the brain (the parts of the brain responsible for emotional sensation and regulation). That’s why music can literally help you feel and move through the full range of your feelings.
Music can help us feel connected to others. If you are feeling something profound from music, it can be a connective experience even when you are alone, because another human made this music. Going to see live music is also a social event, with a room, or arena, full of people experiencing the same thing at the same time, while also having different internal experiences. I think that is pretty incredible. Because of music’s ability to tap into the pleasure centers of the brain, it simply feels good to listen to music. Music can heal, so make sure you’re listening to more of it.
Questions to ponder.
What feelings do you feel when you listen to different kinds of music?
How do you feel when you dance to music?
How has music helped you with emotional processing?
