This Is Your Brain on Music... Any Questions?

[1_sufferin_mind]

I don't really expect any response to this thread; I just wanted to share an article, because I thought it to be fascinating. It also ties-in with our other current discussions surrounding headphone listening and perception.

The Surprising Science Behind What Music Does to Our Brains

1. HAPPY/SAD MUSIC AFFECTS HOW WE SEE NEUTRAL FACES

• Even short pieces of happy or sad music can affect us. One study showed that after hearing a short piece of music, participants were more likely to interpret a neutral expression as happy or sad, to match the tone of the music they heard.
• There are two kind of emotions related to music: perceived emotions and felt emotions.

2. AMBIENT NOISE CAN IMPROVE CREATIVITY

• A moderate noise level is the sweet spot for creativity.

3. OUR MUSIC CHOICES CAN PREDICT OUR PERSONALITY

• In a study of couples who spent time getting to know each other, looking at each other’s top 10 favorite songs actually provided fairly reliable predictions as to the listener’s personality traits.
• Blues fans have high self-esteem, are creative, outgoing, gentle and at ease
• Jazz fans have high self-esteem, are creative, outgoing and at ease
• Classical music fans have high self-esteem, are creative, introvert and at ease
• Rap fans have high self-esteem and are outgoing
• Opera fans have high self-esteem, are creative and gentle
• Country and western fans are hardworking and outgoing
• Reggae fans have high self-esteem, are creative, not hardworking, outgoing, gentle and at ease
• Dance fans are creative and outgoing but not gentle
• Indie fans have low self-esteem, are creative, not hard working, and not gentle
• Bollywood fans are creative and outgoing
• Rock/heavy metal fans have low self-esteem, are creative, not hard-working, not outgoing, gentle, and at ease
• Chart pop fans have high self-esteem, are hardworking, outgoing and gentle, but are not creative and not at ease
• Soul fans have high self-esteem, are creative, outgoing, gentle, and at ease

4. MUSIC CAN SIGNIFICANTLY DISTRACT US WHILE DRIVING (CONTRARY TO COMMON BELIEF)

• Drivers made more mistakes and drove more aggressively when listening to their own choice of music.

5. MUSIC TRAINING CAN SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE OUR MOTOR AND REASONING SKILLS

• Children who had three years or more musical instrument training performed better than those who didn’t learn an instrument in auditory discrimination abilities and fine motor skills.
• They also tested better on vocabulary and nonverbal reasoning skills, which involve understanding and analyzing visual information

6. CLASSICAL MUSIC CAN IMPROVE VISUAL ATTENTION

• Stroke patients in one small study showed improved visual attention while listening to classical music.

7. ONE-SIDED PHONE CALLS ARE MORE DISTRACTING THAN NORMAL CONVERSATIONS

• When it comes to being distracted by the conversations of others, phone calls where we can only hear one side of the conversation are the worst offenders.
• 82% of people find overhearing cellphone conversations annoying

8. MUSIC HELPS US EXERCISE

• Listening to music competes for our brain’s attention, and can help us to override those signals of fatigue.
• A 2012 study showed that cyclists who listened to music required 7% less oxygen to do the same work as those who cycled in silence.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Wow... that is fascinating!

 

[Sonnie]

Hmmm... very interesting indeed.

4. Now if you are listening to some of that disco music that Todd's been listening to... yeah, you gonna wanna start dancing while you driving... not healthy at all.

 

[phillihp23]

Will admit I did not read through the whole article. Are they proposing music sets our mood, or mental state. As I am a big believer that I select the music I am listening to based on my mood.