4 Ways Music Can Improve Your Life
We all love music, so it surely has some kind of superpower, right? Well, we dug into some of the science behind what makes music so special to us as humans, and found a few of the awesome ways that music can make our lives better!
Music Can Help You Relax
Obvious? Maybe. But not all music relaxes equally! Researchers found that after doing a stressful task like a math quiz, classical music will wind you down after a stressful task faster and more effectively than pop or jazz⁽¹⁾.
Music Reduces Pain
It might not cure a headache, but one study⁽²⁾ found that when people’s pain tolerance went up when they were listening to their preferred music. They also found that their participants felt more in control of their pain as well.
Music Boosts Your Workout
Since your favourite songs help you push through pain, it’s only natural that you can make intense workouts like cycling and rowing feel just a little bit easier and go the extra distance by listening to music that you enjoy⁽³⁾.
No pain, no gain!
Music Makes You Smarter
Music not only powers up your body, but it boosts the mind as well! Research has linked regular music lessons and practice with increases in full-scale IQ in children⁽⁴⁾. Musicians who are active for a decade or more can maintain those gains beyond the age of 60 and continue posting higher IQ scores⁽⁵⁾.
Check out our Rhyme & Reason podcast to find out about how music has improved the lives of some awesome artists.
Sources:
Chafin, S., Roy, M., Gerin, W., & Christenfeld, Nicholas. (2004). Music can facilitate blood pressure recovery from stress. British journal of health psychology, 9, 393-403.
Mitchell, L. A., MacDonald, R. A. R., & Knussen, C. (2008). An investigation of the effects of music and art on pain perception. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 2(3), 162–170.
Nakamura, P., Pereira, G., Papini, C., Nakamura, F., & Kokubun, E. (2010). Effects of Preferred and Nonpreferred Music on Continuous Cycling Exercise Performance. Perceptual and motor skills. 110. 257-64.
Schellenberg, E. G. (2004). Music Lessons Enhance IQ. Psychological Science, 15(8), 511–514.
Schellenberg, E. G. & Weiss, M. (2013). Music and Cognitive Abilities. 499-545