Music and Your Wellness: Four Ways Music Impacts Us

By Sarah Swirsky, MSW, LSW, Summit FM Wellness Coordinator

You're likely aware of the incredible power of music to uplift and inspire, but were you aware that music can also have positive effects on your mental health and wellness? So, crank up your favorite song and explore the surprising health benefits that music has to offer!

1. Helps improve focus

Do you often listen to music while studying or working? If the answer is yes, you are among many who find it helpful. According to a 2007 study conducted at Stanford University School of Medicine, music engages areas of the brain which are involved with paying attention, making predictions, and updating events in our memory. Other studies have suggested that music affects cognitive development in children resulting in “sharper minds” as older adults.

2. Regulates or alters mood

If you are feeling down, consider creating or tuning into your favorite feel-good playlist! Research featured in Frontiers suggests that tuning into music has the potential to alter your mood. Individuals struggling with uncomfortable emotions, such as anger or anxiety, found relief through soothing sounds of calming music. Similarly, those experiencing feelings of depression found solace and comfort when listening to music that resonated with their current emotions. Dr. Oliver Sacks, best-selling author, physician, and professor of Neurology writes, “Music can lift us out of depression or move us to tears - it is a remedy, a tonic, orange juice for the ear. But for many of my neurological patients, music is even more - it can provide access, even when no medication can, to movement, to speech, to life. For them, music is not a luxury, but a necessity.”

3. May ease pain

Studies suggest that music can trigger the brain to release chemicals that redirect the body's focus away from pain. Music has also been found to significantly reduce perceived intensity of pain, particularly within geriatric care, intensive care, or palliative medicine. Rebecca Jenkins- Swirsky, Summit FM member, shares with us that when her husband was hospitalized with Leukemia, registered music therapists helped him to cope with the mental and physical pain by playing his favorite music live in his hospital room.

4. Stimulate Memory

Have you ever been amazed by the way a song can whisk you away to a specific moment in your past? According to Harvard Health, music triggers parts of the brain associated with memory, acting as a potential key to unlock your "memory vaults." This phenomenon isn't limited to the general population; it also extends to individuals with dementia, providing a pathway to access forgotten memories. A study carried out at UC Irvine revealed that Alzheimer's patients experienced improvements in memory test scores when they listened to classical music.

To make the most out of music for wellness, we recommend increasing listening time to your favorite music, as well as discovering new music! Tuning into the Summit FM on the radio, or app, is a great way to discover new music to elevate your mood.

Research from this article was taken from the National Association of Music Merchants