Plug in, tune out.
Listening to music can have an extremely relaxing, and positive effect on the human mind and body. Music has been utilized through generations to treat illnesses, and regain a self-centered state of being. People across the globe utilize music for a number of activities that can range from cultural purposes, meditation, and working out.
Quiet, classical music can have a tremendously benefical effect on our physiological functions– slowing the pulse and heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and decreasing the levels of stress hormones. Music therapy, which is utilized for cancer patients, hospital patients before and after surgery, and even disabled and distressed children, serves as a buffer for anxiety and emotional distress. Researchers at McGill University in Montreal, Canada showed that listening to pleasurable music triggered the release of the feel-good chemical dopamine.
‘There’s a very wide range of reactions in the body and mind to music, and brain imaging studies have shown that various parts of the brain may be activated by a piece of music,’ says Dr. Victoria Williamson, lecturer in psychology at Goldsmith’s College, London. Music can completely alter your mood, depending on the genre you choose to listen to. Find what moves you.
