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The power of music
Are you currently letting light background music wash over you, or listening to a playlist through earphones with the volume up?
Whether consciously listened to or just tinkling in the background, music is our companion during a monotonous routine, when we do sport and particularly at times of great emotion. We can no longer imagine our lives without it, and it influences both our bodies and our minds. In this article we will explain exactly which sounds affect your body and mind, and how.
“Music is light for the soul, an anthem to life.”
(Else Pannek)
If you think that your brain is doing nothing when you passively listen to music, you are hugely mistaken. Even then, your head is busy: we all subconsciously create links between the different pitches, chords and melodies. Only, why is it that some people get goosebumps when they listen to Stairway to Heaven and others have to suppress tears when they hear Hallelujah?
From ear to brain
In order to understand the effect of music, we need to begin with the ear, where the sound waves are converted into electrical signals by fine ear hairs and then sent along the cochlear nerve to the brain, where the music is comprehensively processed. Both the cerebellum, which governs our physical movements and sense of balance, and the cerebrum, which is responsible for the higher conscious functions, respond to music. And, not to be forgotten, so does the limbic system, which regulates emotional processes and is involved in learning and memory formation. Consequently, it is impossible to enjoy music, or understand it artistically, without the co-operation of the limbic system, which also undertakes the emotional side of music processing, together with the reward system. Because these structures in the brain act independently of the conscious will, we can avoid the effect of music only with great difficulty. What’s more, pace and rhythm in particular are known to greatly affect physical functions such as heartbeat.
Physical reactions to music
Various studies have investigated the connection between music by the great Baroque and Classical composers and cardiovascular reactions.
The music of Johann Sebastian Bach was shown to have a positive influence on the blood pressure and heart rate of both humans and animals in different studies. For example, participants in an investigation exhibited a significantly lower pulse and a reduced heart rate variability on hearing Bach’s Cantata 169.
Have you ever paid attention to what music does to your body? Try it and be aware of how your body responds when you listen to music!
Music and our emotions
It isn’t just our cardiac systems that respond to music. Our feelings, too, can be influenced by sounds, rhythms and melodies. As described above, music activates our limbic systems and is therefore directly in contact with our memories. This explains why a song can take us right back to a particular situation, even if it was years ago, and also why we can re-experience our first heartache by listening to an old CD.
Besides the memories connected to music that are stored in our brains, our bodies also secrete different hormones depending on the type of music, and this can additionally boost the feelings we are experiencing. Consequently, an emotion is not contained in the music and does not affect us all equally, but is rather inside the person who is listening to the music. The various emotions aroused by music depend greatly on our inner emotional state – the music merely helps to boost this state and only captures the emotional response in people who have already experienced these emotions. Last but not least, music is the art that affects us the most. Even mere noises that cannot be defined as music may trigger strong emotions. Think, for example, of the way chalk squeaks on a chalkboard – just hearing this sound triggers discomfort in a great many people and can even cause pain. This brings us to the topic of music and health. As well as the link between emotions, mood and music, various studies could also indicate the effect of music on health.
Music and health
Many studies report that our bodies and physical functions, such as breathing, heart rate or physical tension, are affected by music. Unfortunately, this is also true of the effect of “unmusical” noise, which can result in sleep problems, headaches, increased irritability and high blood pressure, among other things.
A stress-reducing effect can also be ascribed to music. A study from 2013 demonstrated that people who listened to music during a standardised stress test had significantly lower blood cortisol values than people who were presented with the sound of running water or no acoustic stimuli. Music has a demonstrably relaxing effect even in pregnancy and during childbirth – music in the delivery room may have relaxing, soothing and stress-reducing properties.
“Music is the medicine of the mind.”
(John A. Logan)
Now we know about the link between music and our emotions and have discovered that music can have different beneficial effects on our bodies and health. Finally, let’s look at the effect of music on sport.
How is it for you? Are you one of those people who do sport with loud music playing through earphones? Do you even use specific songs to drive yourself to high sporting achievements? It makes no difference if you run across fields with music in your ears, or prefer to hear the sounds of nature when doing sport outdoors, or train to the beat of the gym’s music. Below we have compiled some interesting scientific discoveries about the effect of music in sport.
Music and sport
The rhythm and tempo of music significantly affect running speed, endurance and recovery. Consequently, it is worth playing music with an appropriate rhythm and tempo during endurance training, particularly when running. If you do, it is important to make sure that the speed and pressure level are adapted to the performance of the person doing the sport. A study of runners successfully used musical tempos and rhythms to increase the lap times of the runners in line with the tempo of the music. According to current research, listening to music can even positively affect recovery times after training.
And the benefits of music in sport are not restricted to just performance and recovery. Rather, music also demonstrates positive psychological effects: sportsmen and women who train to music enjoy their training considerably more and experience their training as more enjoyable and less stressful. Music has been proven to positively affect stamina and staying power.
Music: “natural doping”
A review of the studies available in the field from 2012 showed that music enabled amateur sportsmen and women to disregard the discomfort in intensive sport; consequently, they were better able to exercise to capacity. Performance may increase as a result of increased tolerance (similar to chemical doping). This fact can be considered a natural “doping” via the neurohumoral interconnection between the limbic system and the perception of pain. Correspondingly, listening to music during an Ironman competition is banned, as it is for professional marathon runners.
So, when you do your endurance training, you can use targeted music to improve your performance and feel good and happy when you do. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Then try it out and share your sporting experiences with us on Instagram (psychische.gesundheit.zug) or Facebook (Psychische Gesundheit Zug) with us. We look forward to hearing about them!
References:
Gasenzer, E.R., Leischik, R. (2018). Musik, Puls, Herz und der Sport. Herz 43, 43–52.
Lee, S. & Kimmerly, D. (2016). Influence of music on maximal self-paced running performance and passive post-exercise recovery rate. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 56 (1–2): 39–48.
Leventhall, G., Pelmear. P. & Benton, S. (2003). A Review of Published Research on Low Frequency Noise and its Effects. UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Stork, M. J., Kwan, M. Y. W., Gibala, M.J. & Martin Ginis K. A. (2015). Music enhances performance and perceived enjoyment of sprint interval exercise. MedSci Sports Exerc 47: 1052–1060.
Van Dyck, E. M. B., Buhmann, J., Demey, M., Coorevits, E., Dalla Bella, S. & Leman, M. (2015). Spontaneous entrainment of running cadence to music tempo. SportsMedOpen 1:15.
Wulff, V., Hepp, P., Fehm, T. & Schaal, N. K. (2017). Musik in der Geburtshilfe: eine Interventionsmöglichkeit zur Anspannungs-, Schmerz- und Stressreduktion. Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde; 77: 967–975.
