Music: The Positive Effects Of Music In The Brain

Music has been referred to as a universal language for the world. No matter where in the world one is, people can come together and appreciate a piece of music. This is because melody and rhythm have no language barrier. That is why we see musical acts sell out shows across the globe, not just within their home countries. People have favorite types of music for many reasons, but particularly as Sacks says “We turn to music, we need it, because of its ability to move us, to induce feelings and moods, states of mind. “(Sacks, “The Power of Music”) But how often do people examine what actually happens to the brain once music is heard? There are fascinating things that can occur within the brain when one puts on a piece of music. Certain types of music have a positive effect in the brain that concern anger,

This type of music is characterized by loud and powerful sounds often with lyrical content regarding social isolation and depression. According to a study conducted by the University of Queensland, thirty nine extreme music listeners aged eighteen to thirty four years old were subjected to an anger induction followed by a random assignment to ten minutes of listening to extreme music. Results showed that hostility, irritability, and stress went up after the anger induction and decreased after listening to the Heavy Metal music. As Sharman and Dingle put it “ The findings indicate that extreme music appeared to match their physiological arousal and result in an increase in positive emotions.” (Sharman,Dingle,).This study was measured by examining the heartbeat and respiration as well as asking the participants to describe how they felt afterwards. Furthermore, listeners experienced a heightened level of inspiration which contributes in battling depression. Feeling angry is often linked to feeling depressed. So the next time one is feeling enraged or annoyed, maybe some Heavy Metal will do the