While we often like to think of music as simply an art that we appreciate for its aesthetic value, most of us use music as a ‘tool’ to regulate our needs in one way or another. Despite this, we’re not always aware of the direct impact it has on us neurologically. A review article by Chanda and Levitin in 2013 describes some of the most scientifically backed benefits of music on the brain, comprising four main areas of research: reward, motivation and pleasure; stress and arousal; immunity; and social affiliation. I will also discuss another potential neurological effect that music has, as well as an intriguing musical ability that is not well understood.
To briefly summarize these aspects of neurological impact, music has been found to trigger our reward systems through activation of dopamine and endogenous (made naturally within our bodies) opioid release. This can serve to inhibit feelings of stress or anxiety temporarily, and further motivate us to listen to music through reinforcement. Regarding stress and arousal, certain types of music- mainly slow tempo, low pitch- can reduce stress and arousal in individuals, very possibly through a reduction of cortisol levels along the hypothalamic-pituitary (HPA) axis of the brain. This effect has been indicated to help protect against neurotoxic effects of chronic stress. Both of these aspects, reward and stress/arousal, have also been suggested to be behind lowered requirements of analgesia after painful surgeries when the patient listens to music.
Music may also impact the immune system, with studies suggesting that it could enhance our bodies’ immune functioning through increasing molecules that support the immune system and decreasing molecules that counteract it, although it’s not entirely clear what is mediating this effect. Finally, Chanda and Levitin provide an overview for the effects of music on social affiliation, asserting that music may help to establish and maintain social bonds through its impact on oxytocin, vasopressin, and endogenous opioids.
A lesser known but notable impact that music has on the brain is the synchronization of brain stem neurons with tempo. As it turns out, humans have an innate ability to ‘entrain’, or simultaneously activate, neurons in our brainstem with those in our motor system through the tempo of music. Essentially, this means that when you hear a steady rhythm, it not only activates your auditory system, but automatically engages your motor system as well, even if you’re not physically moving.
This function does have clinical importance, with research showing that rhythmic entrainment of motor function can significantly improve recovery of mobility in patients with neurological diseases, including stroke, Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury, and cerebral palsy. Quite coincidentally, the movie I watched while writing this blog showed an example of this. In the 2010 film The King’s Speech, a future king with a stammer sees a speech therapist, and is without a stutter for the first time when he speaks while listening to music with headphones on. Part of this strategy was to make it so he couldn’t hear himself talk, but musical entrainment could very possibly play a role as well, smoothing out the actions of muscles necessary to control speech.
As a musician, I find the potential impacts that music can have on health or wellbeing an especially critical area of research going forward. Music may not be the cure for cancer, or for anything, but it may offer reduction of motor symptoms in certain neurological diseases, among other potential therapeutic uses. Future research will hopefully not only uncover new impacts of music on the brain, but strengthen our understanding of current findings through reducing common limitations of confounding distraction variables and locus of control issues. At the very least, listening to that song on repeat every time you’re sad or jammin to tunes while you jog won’t kill ya.
