Category: Music

Musical Training Boosts Attention and Focus, Research Finds

Learning an instrument enhances critical areas of the brain.

Learning an instrument enhances critical areas of the brain.

Musical training provides lasting improvements to attention and focus.

Musicians have greater control over their attention and are less distracted.

The more musical training a person has, the better they can control their attention.

Musicians also develop better memories, previous studies have shown.

Brain imaging research has even shown critical areas of the brain to be different in musicians.

Changes in the dorsolateral frontal regions (the top front of your head), in particular, are linked to better memory, error detection and goal-oriented behaviour in musicians.

Dr Paulo Barraza, the study’s lead author, said:

“Our study investigated the effects of systematic musical training on the main components of the attentional system.

Our findings demonstrate greater inhibitory attentional control abilities in musicians than non-musicians.

Professional musicians are able to more quickly and accurately respond to and focus on what is important to perform a task, and more effectively filter out incongruent and irrelevant stimuli than non-musicians.

In addition, the advantages are enhanced with increased years of training.”

Ignoring distractions

The conclusions come from a study of 18 professional pianists with an average of 12 years of practice, who were compared with non-musicians.

All were given tests of their attentional systems.

The results showed that musicians were better at ignoring distractions while doing a complex task.

Dr David Medina, the study’s first author, said:

“Our findings of the relationship between musical training and improvement of attentional skills could be useful in clinical or educational fields, for instance, in strengthening the ability of ADHD individuals to manage distractions or the development of school programs encouraging the development of cognitive abilities through the deliberate practice of music.”

Related

The study was published in the journal Heliyon (Medina & Barraza, 2019).

10 Amazing Ways Music Changes Your Brain And Enriches Life (P)

Music doesn’t just move us: it transforms the brain, memory, thinking and even our relationships.

Music has a powerful effect on our minds: it can make us cry, dance, reflect, feel safe or just help pass away a wet afternoon.

But music does much more than just act on the emotions and make us want to move, it's a potent force that can rewire critical brain regions, influence neurotransmitters, resurface old memories, heal mental health and activate the social mind.

Here are ten ways music makes you smarter, healthier, more connected, and fundamentally enriches life.

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The Best Genres Of Music To Improve Your Athletic Performance

Research reveals which types of music improve which types of athletic performance.

Research reveals which types of music improve which types of athletic performance.

Listening to jazz can improve your performance on the putting green. And jazz is not the only music that’s been linked to athletic performance, as one of the study’s authors, Dr Ali Boolani, explains:
“Other research has shown that country music improves batting, rap music improves jump shots and running is improved by any up-tempo music. But the benefit of music in fine motor control situations was relatively unknown. Hopefully, this is the first step in answering this question.”

Jazz is calming

In the small experiment, 20 good golfers tried five different putts while listening to one of the following types of music:
  • Classical
  • Country
  • Rock
  • Jazz
  • Hip hop/rap
  • No music
The results showed that any music at all improved putting compared with none, but jazz was the best genre. So, why does jazz improve putting? First, here is the authors’ more creative answer:
“…jazz is derived from improvisation, which appears in similar arts such as the theatre. Although speculative, listening to jazz may encourage greater improvisation from the listener. Thus, participants in the present study may have better observed the grain and slope of the green and were more open to creativity in the putt.”
Cute answer, but their second explanation is probably more accurate:
“…jazz serves to act as a calming effect, as opposed to other genres which generally have higher tempos and could increase levels of arousal.”

Related

The study was published in the Journal of Athletic Enhancement (Baghurst et al., 2014).

The Creative Therapy That Helps Reduce Depression

Higher self-esteem from a common creative therapy that also helps reduce depression.

Higher self-esteem from a common creative therapy that also helps reduce depression.

Music therapy can reduce depression in young people with behaviour problems, research finds.

Music therapy also increased self-esteem compared to those who received the usual treatment without the therapy.

The conclusions come from the largest every study of its kind.

It involved 251 children, only half of whom were given music therapy.

The music therapy itself included things like the therapist asking children to describe how they felt by playing a tune.

All the children in the study were being treated for behavioural, emotional or developmental problems.

The results showed that those who received the music therapy had higher self-esteem and reduced depression in comparison to those that had care as usual.

Professor Sam Porter, who led the study, said:

“This study is hugely significant in terms of determining effective treatments for children and young people with behavioural problems and mental health needs.

The findings contained in our report should be considered by healthcare providers and commissioners when making decisions about the sort of care for young people that they wish to support.”

Ciara Reilly, Chief Executive of Every Day Harmony, a music therapy charity, said:

“Music therapy has often been used with children and young people with particular mental health needs, but this is the first time its effectiveness has been shown by a definitive randomised controlled trail in a clinical setting.

The findings are dramatic and underscore the need for music therapy to be made available as a mainstream treatment option.

For a long time we have relied on anecdotal evidence and small-scale research findings about how well music therapy works.

Now we have robust clinical evidence to show its beneficial effects.”

Related

The study was published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, (Porter et al., 2016).

These Addictive Neurotransmitters Explains Why Music Gives You Chills (M)

Turns out, your brain treats your favourite song just like a delicious meal or romantic encounter.

Turns out, your brain treats your favourite song just like a delicious meal or romantic encounter.

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Sad Music And Movies Soothe Relationship Problems

Break-ups and rejection make people reach for a downbeat aesthetic experience.

Break-ups and rejection make people reach for a downbeat aesthetic experience.

Sad music and gloomy movies help soothe the pain of relationship problems.

People having difficulties in their personal relationships are more likely to choose tearjerker dramas and downbeat music.

This is unusual, because sad people usually prefer fun comedies and upbeat music to turn their mood around.

However, there is something about experiencing relationship problems, such as a break-up, that makes people want similar emotional companionship.

The study’s authors write:

“Consumers seek and experience emotional companionship with music, films, novels, and the fine arts as a substitute for lost and troubled relationships.”

In one experiment, people recalled an experience involving a loss.

For some it was a relationship loss, for others it was an impersonal loss, like losing a competition.

Those who thought about losing a competition wanted to be cheered up with happy music.

But, those who thought about losing a relationship wanted sombre music.

The authors write:

“Emotional experiences of aesthetic products are important to our happiness and well-being.

Music, movies, paintings, or novels that are compatible with our current mood and feelings, akin to an empathic friend, are more appreciated when we experience broken or failing relationships.”

Another experiment showed that people preferred angry music when they were frustrated by being interrupted, or someone being late.

In other words, a personal hassle made people want negatively valenced music.

However, people who experienced impersonal hassles, like a loss of internet connection, wanted upbeat music to take their mind off it.

So, sadness caused by other people makes us yearn for similar aesthetic experiences.

Maybe this is because being rejected by others makes us crave emotional companionship, which sad music and movies provide.

The study was published in the Journal of Consumer Research (Lee et al., 2013).

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