17 Surprising Health Benefits Of Playing An Instrument

Therapy –Playing music can help withstress, insomnia, and depressionbecause it acts as an outlet for difficult emotions. It can be a form of self-soothing in tough situations, and a healthy distraction from a stressful day. Listening Skills –Learning music doesn’t just improve your ability to hear details; it also makes you better at listening. Whether you’re practicing on your own or playing with other people, you have to listen for timing, expression, and whether you’re in tune. This can make you a better listener even in everyday conversations as well. Reading Skills –Reading music helps strengthen yourability to process informationby creating new connections between the synapses in your brain.

And, people said music improved their productivity by 50 percent or more. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider.

You don’t have to become a pro, just take a few lessons. Specially trained music therapists use music to help alleviate pain in inpatient and outpatient settings. A 2016 meta-analysis of over 90 studies reported that music helps people manage both acute and chronic pain better than medication alone. Researchers now know that just the promise of listening to music can make you want to learn more. In one 2019 study, people were more motivated to learn when they expected to listen to a song as their reward. Although music therapy is not a cure for depression, it can offer short-term benefits by improving mood and encouraging connection and self-expression.

Not waterfall sounds only does it help people with shaking off their feelings of stress, but studies have also found that music can improve mental focus, improve the immune system, and help regulate pain. Another study—this one focused on cancer patients—concluded that singing can lower cortisol levels and improve mood through the release of endorphins. Music can have a profound effect on both the emotions and the body. Faster music can make you feel more alert and concentrate better. Upbeat music can make you feel more optimistic and positive about life.

When you are stressed, your body responds by releasing hormones such as cortisol. Scientists were interested in how music affects stress levels. A study from Austria’s General Hospital of Salzburg found that patients recovering from back surgery had increased rates of healing and reported less pain when music was incorporated into the standard rehabilitation process.

Conversely, naturalistic sounds, such as the ebb and flow of the ocean tide or leaves rustling in the wind, are reported as promoting relaxation. Researchers at Brighton and Sussex Medical School did a sound study on 17 healthy adults. The nature sounds correlated with an increase in the autonomic nervous system’s parasympathetic response or “rest-digest” response, which helps the body relax and function in normal circumstances. Thanks to science, this emotional range isn’t just anecdotal. Listening to music comes with tangible benefits, including a direct correlation between music and stress relief. Understanding the chemical reactions in your brain relating to sound is key to unlocking the calming magic of music.