“Have you ever wondered why a particular song can make you feel ecstatic or calm you down instantly? Or have you noticed how music sets the tone for social gatherings, sporting events, or even religious ceremonies? Well, it’s no secret that music has powerful effects on our life. But just how significant is its impact? Join us as we embark on an insightful journey of discovery to explore the fascinating ways in which music affects our emotions, behaviour, and overall well-being – backed by scientific research! So tune in, turn up the volume, and let’s begin!”
What is music?
Before knowing how music affects our life, we first need to know what music is. Music is everywhere in the universe. Every melodious sound which has sur, tal and lay, is music. Rhythm, speed, and notes are essential for any music.
Types of Music
Music can be instrumental or vocal. Guitar, Harmonium, Mouth-organ, and flute are played as instruments. A Vocal artist needs to practice singing regularly with a base instrument like Harmonium or Tanpura. How music affects our life depends upon our understanding of the field.
History of Music
During an excavation in Southern Germany in 2009, the archaeologist found a flute made from the bone of a vulture. This flute is considered as the oldest musical instrument. This makes it clear that we have been creating music for more than 40,000 years.
Why Music?
Music is a gift to humanity. It has a soothing and healing effect on our mood. When we feel low, music lifts up to high. It also blends with the ambiance and occasion. We love to play different kinds of songs for various celebrations.
- Music for marriages
There are a variety of songs that are meant for these ceremonies only. Folk songs in India are sung during various rituals like Haldi, Mehandi, Engagement, Tilak, etc. The songs create the proper ambiance for the ceremony. In the same way, the instrumental music of shehnai plays an important role during the Vidai of a newly married girl. In western countries, I have listened to the violin during the ceremony. These instances make it clear how music affects our life.
- Music for birthdays and anniversaries, etc.
There are different types of music for different occasions, such as birthday songs, anniversary songs, etc. Variant instruments are connected with variant ceremonies too. Generally, the guitar is ideal for youthful functions.
How does music connect?
- the national anthem is a way to connect with our country’s people
- Song for protest generates enthusiasm among the people
- a group of people together pray hymns in sacred houses or temples
- love songs are good to create a special bonding between the partners
- Lullabies deeply connect infants and parents
Hence, it is clear that we have music for all occasions and moods. How music sets and resets our mood while affecting our lives.
How does music affect our mind?
Let’s find out what the Researchers have to say about the benefit of music on our mental physical and emotional health
How does music affects our brain?
Our left brain is responsible for logic, while the right brain takes care of creativity, music, etc. So, listening to the right kind of music can help you stay more creative at work.
Sad and Happy Music
According to the Great Greek Philosopher Plato, “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and everything.”
When we listen to a song, it may sound happy or sad. It depends on its chords and rhythm or tempo. Minor Chords sound Sad, while Major Chords sound Happy. Similarly, fast music sounds happy, while slow music sounds sad.
Now let’s learn how music affects an individual.
Effect of music on our way of learning
Ed John Hopkins doctors recommend listening to music to learn more. In a study in 2019, Researchers found that people could learn more when they were expecting to listen to a song as a reward. However, there is a limit to listening to anything. The student with low memory power experienced negative effects on learning while listening to music with lyrics.
Memory enhancer
Music also has a positive effect on your ability to memorize. As per the study, a number of people Who were hearing classical music could recall a list of words better than the people working with white noise or silence. According to Mayo Clinic, music cannot reverse the loss of memory but it can help patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia with slow cognitive decline. That means they can recollect a few memories from the past.
Treatment for mental illnesses like Schizophrenia
According to researchers, music can be a trigger for releasing neurochemicals, helpful in maintaining good mental health:
- As per the studies, Dopamine is one of the chemicals related to pleasure
- Serotonin helps in building immunity.
- Oxytocin helps in connecting very well with people
- The stress hormone cortisol decreases
Effect of music on mood
Music helps to regulate their emotions. It can change moods and process feelings. According to research, music relaxes people after a stroke if they listen to music for almost an hour.
Music to bring out depression
If you listen to classical and jazz combined, then you can come out of depression. The study was done by a board of certified music therapists. They conducted several such sessions. Drum sessions can also help in the same way. However, some kinds of nostalgic tunes can make you sad or depressed as well.
How does music affect our body?
As per the studies, when music is mixed with sounds of nature, even people with critical illness feel relaxed and worry-free.
I have felt it personally and even if I am tired, it refreshes me for long hours of working. As the study says that relaxing music relieves your day.
Musical Ragas and their effect on our body, mind, and spirit
As per the sources, ragas are 72 in number and are called Melakarta ragas. As per Neural research, 72 ragas are affecting 72 nerves. So, singing a particular raga at a specified time will give control over that nerve and heal the ailments accordingly. Ragas are more powerful than we imagine. This is how music affects our body.
Ragas and Chakras
Ragas cleanse our chakras and heal our body, mind as well as the soul. Thus, it helps in maintaining the holistic health of a person. The raga ensures a balanced supply of energy to various organs connected to a particular chakra.
Ragas and remedies
- Raga Shyam Kalyan is helpful in activating the Mooladhara chakra. This chakra helps in physical identity, ambition, stability, survival, instinctual nature, and self-sufficiency. The sense of smell is connected to Muladhar. Thus, we come to know how music affects our life.
- Raga Yaman stimulates the Swadishthan chakra. Swadhisthana is related to taste. The tongue is the taste organ. Activity organs of this chakra are the sexual organs, the whole urinary system, and the kidneys. Henceforth, swadhisthana is taking care of the purification of fluids through the bladder, kidneys, and lymph system. And, it also helps in reproduction. This chakra strongly influences our emotions. Swadhisthana is also associated with joint mobility including pelvic areas as well as hip joints. And, we understand how music affects our growth.
- Raga Abhogi activates the Manipura Chakra near Solar Plexus and helps in improving the digestion process. This raga helps in de-addiction. It also helps to give up compulsive or impulsive habits. Raga Abhogi contributes well to developing attributes of the water element. If this chakra is activated, then you can improve various health issues like poor digestion, diabetes, weight problems, ulcers, hyperglycemia, arthritis, hypoglycemia, pancreas, kidney or liver problems, bulimia, anorexia, hepatitis, colon disease, intestinal tumours. Now, we are aware of how music affects our life.
- The ragas Durga and Bhairav can activate the Anahat chakra near the heart and bring you divine protection and bliss. Raga Durga is good for enhancing your self-confidence and helps to develop the attributes of air elements. Both ragas are good to build strong immunity in kids. The heart chakra cultivates compassion and selfless love. The Raga Jaijaiwanti activates our Vishuddhi Chakra situated in the throat. This chakra controls all the sensory organs. Through this raga, you can improve your voice quality and personality as well. However, communication is always a two-way process and involves talking as well as listening. If there is an imbalance of this chakra, you start talking very much, lying, being arrogant, manipulative, timid, and fearful. In this way, we realize how music affects our nature.
- The Raga Bhup purifies the Agya chakra or Third Eye. It helps in relieving tension, mental fatigue, and anger. This Chakra is also known as the 6th Chakra or “the sixth sense”. The Chakra helps us to connect to our intuitions. It helps to develop sharp senses. Third Eye makes it possible to communicate with the world and get messages from the future and the past. Bhairavi and Darbari Ragas activate our Crown or Sahasrara chakra. This raga helps to relax and calm down. Thus you feel joyous, peaceful, energetic, and relieved of depression and tension. This chakra is the focal point for trust, positivity, inspiration, devotion, and happiness. It’s the main center of life force energy, which connects you with yourself. Thus, we have several instances of how music affects our life.
Music Therapy
- Stress: Raga Darbari is good to relieve stress. Tansen used to compose songs in this raga to calm down king Akbar after a hectic day.
- Acidity: Raga Puriya Dhanashri is good for healing acidity problems and makes you happy from within.
- Hypotension: Raga Malkauns is good for treating people with very low blood pressure.
- Hypertension and Diabetes: Raga Bageshri is useful in calming the mind and giving mental strength. This is also good to control hypertension and insomnia.
- BP Reduction: Raga Todi effectively brings down high BP levels. Raga Ahir-Bhairav is also good for the same.
- Tuberculosis, sinusitis, cancer, cold, and toothache: Raga Bhairavi helps patients to recover faster from these diseases.
- Blood Purification: Ragas Marva and Hindolam help to purify the blood.
- Cold and Headache: A persistent cold and headache are effectively healed by Raga Todi. Rag Kedar also helps in common coughs and colds.
- Sun-Stroke and Asthma: Raga Malhar shows good results in healing such patients.
- Postoperative pain management According to the Indian Journal of surgery You can manage postoperative pain with the help of Raag Anand Bhairavi. If you listen to this Raag consecutively for 3 days after the operation you can reduce the use of analgesic by 50%.
Henceforth, it’s clear how music affects the human body.
History of music therapy
Music therapy is recognised by health professionals to treat the issues related to the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive needs of a person. In the 20th century after World War I and II musicians started the use this therapy to heal veterans from an emotional and physical trauma from the Wars. Hence, it was experienced how music affects your life and healing.
International Music Day is celebrated on 21st June only, which is also rejoiced as International Yoga Day too. Music plays an important role in the union of body, mind, and soul. It is also a posture or Sangeetasan for better health and freedom.
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