When thought about, everything we encounter in our lives includes music. The first music we experience is our mother’s voice and the first beat we hear is our mother’s heartbeat. We then go on to experience the music nature offers such as the rhythm of the rivers or the melody of a bird. Therefore, music is embedded into how we are wired as humans and today, it may even be viewed as a driving and healing force.
There is no doubt that our lives are filled with hardships and exhaustion and as imperfect beings, we shouldn’t be expected to function on a normal scale with every inconvenience we encounter. Whether it is heartbreak, academic stress, or simply just sadness, at times it can feel uneasy to come into contact with such uncomfortable and unwanted emotions. Therefore, many of us turn to music to alter our moods and help us process our emotions in a more soothing manner. Although music is not a permanent remedy for severe struggles, it can aid us in being more in touch with how we feel towards certain situations as well as provide a temporary sense of relief. There is also an underlying convenience that in particular music holds in which we can proceed on with our day while our music keeps us sound mind.
It is no misconception that the sounds we hear and the lyrics that we listen to attach to a certain meaning and can even anchor us to specific moments of our past, both emotional and social. However, how does music have the ability to tie us to such salient emotions and how are they able to send us to a state of escapism or even disassociation? This is due to the significant impact of music towards the brain. Music has been found to aid us in the same way medicine can as well as improve our ability to produce neurons. Furthermore, Johns Hopkins Medicine research has indicated that songs can reduce anxiety, blood pressure and pain while enhancing sleep quality, mood and memory. More specifically, when listening to music, blood flow begins to increase in brain regions that generate and control emotions. So, the chill you receive when listening to a certain song is most likely the release of dopamine, a bodily chemical that triggers the sensations of pleasure and well-being.
Music holds the potential of navigating our emotions and may reflect us as individuals more than we may believe as Abdu´l-Baha famously states, “Whatever is in the heart of man, melody moves and awakens. If a heart full of good feelings and a pure voice are joined together, a great effect is produced.” Additionally, music has the capability of awakening the real, natural essence of a person, therefore, with whichever purpose you listen to music, music has the ability of heightening that purpose. On that account, it is incredibly important to be aware of how influential your playlist can be on your mood and mindset. Although it is healthy to visit sorrowful emotions every now and then and unwittingly music can help us do so, it is important to not allow yourself to dwell on those emotions as music can heighten them.
With all things considered, music holds an immense amount of power and based on our song preferences, it may even reflect us as individuals on a biological level, more than we might presume to believe. The art also holds the potential for escapism when needed, a good cry when sadness needs to be visited, and an indulgence in reminiscence when nostalgia is heard. On that account, although music has a profound capacity of navigating memory and emotion in remarkable ways, it can also consume us in detrimental ways as well. Therefore, it’s advised to not let it absorb our well being entirely. As pleasant as it can be to escape from the present, the escapism music grants us is only temporary.
Featured image: Neuroscience News
