Music and Mood

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Music’s beneficial effects on mental health have been known for

thousands of years. Ancient philosophers from Plato to Confucius
and the kings of Israel sang the praises of music and used it to
help soothe stress. Military bands use music to build confidence
and courage. Sporting events provide music to rouse enthusiasm.
Schoolchildren use music to memorize their ABCs. Shopping
malls play music to entice consumers and keep them in the store.
Dentists play music to help calm nervous patients. Modern
research supports conventional wisdom that music benefits mood
and confidence.
Because of our unique experiences, we develop different musical
tastes and preferences. Despite these differences, there are
some common responses to music. Babies love lullabies.
Maternal singing is particularly soothing, regardless of a mom’s
formal musical talents or training. Certain kinds of music make
almost everyone feel worse, even when someone says she
enjoys it; in a study of 144 adults and teenagers who listened to 4
different kinds of music, grunge music led to significant increases
in hostility, sadness, tension, and fatigue across the entire group,
even in the teenagers who said they liked it. In another study,
college students reported that pop, rock, oldies, and classical
music helped them feel happier and more optimistic, friendly,
relaxed, and calm.
Music, Attention, and Learning
Everyone who has learned their ABCs knows that it is easier to
memorize a list if it is set to music. Scientific research supports
common experience that pairing music with rhythm and pitch
enhances learning and recall. Music helps children and
adolescents with attention problems in several ways. First, it can
be used as a reward for desired behavior. For example, for paying
attention to homework for 10 minutes, a child can be rewarded
with the opportunity to listen to music for 5 minutes. Second, it
can be used to help enhance attention to “boring” academic tasks
such as memorization, using songs, rhythms, and dance or
movement to enhance the interest of the lists to be memorized.
Instrumental baroque music is great for improving attention and
reasoning. For students, playing background music is not
distracting. Third, musical cues can be used to help organize
activities – one kind of music for one activity (studying), another
for a different activity (eating), and a third kind for heading to bed.
Fourth, studies show that calming music can promote pro-social
behavior and decrease impulsive behavior.
Music and Anxiety
Many people find familiar music comforting and calming. In fact,
music is so effective in reducing anxiety, it is often used in dental,
preoperative, and radiation therapy settings to help patients cope
with their worries about procedures. Music helps decrease anxiety
in the elderly, new mothers, and children too. Music’s ability to
banish worries is illustrated in the Rogers and Hammerstein lyrics,
“Whenever I feel afraid, I hold my head erect
 And whistle a
happy tune, so no one will suspect I’m afraid…
 And every single
time,
 the happiness in the tune convinces me that I’m not afraid.”
Any kind of relaxing, calming music can contribute to calmer
moods. Calming music can be combined with cognitive therapy to
lower anxiety even more effectively than conventional therapy
alone.
Some studies suggest that specially designed music, such as
music that includes tones that intentionally induce binaural beats
to put brain waves into relaxed delta or theta rhythms, can help
improve symptoms in anxious patients even more than music
without these tones; listening to this music without other
distractions (not while driving, cooking, talking, or reading)
promotes the best benefits.
Music and Moods
An analysis of 5 studies on music for depression concluded that
music therapy is not only acceptable for depressed patients, but it
actually helps improve their moods. Music has proven useful in
helping patients with serious medical illnesses such as cancer,
burns, and multiple sclerosis who are also depressed. If it can
help in these situations, it may be able to help you and your loved
ones experience more positive moods.
Music and Sleep
Many people listen to soothing music to help them fall asleep.
This practice is supported by studies in a variety of settings. Just
don’t try listening to lively dance music or rousing marches before
you aim to fall asleep. Conversely, if you’re trying to wake up in
the morning, go for the fast-tempo music rather than lullabies.
Music and Stress
Since ancient times, it has been known that certain kinds of music
can help soothe away stress. Calming background music can
significantly decrease irritability and promote calm in elderly
nursing home patients with dementia. Music, widely chosen,
lowers stress hormone levels. On the other hand, every parent of
a teenager knows that certain kinds of music, particularly at high
volumes, can induce stress. Knowing that certain kinds of music
can alleviate stress is one thing; being mindful in choosing what
kind of music to listen to is another. Choose your musical intake
as carefully as you choose your food and friends.
Last Updated 11/21/2015
Source Mental Health, Naturally: The Family Guide to Holistic Care for a
Healthy Mind and Body (Copyright © 2010 American Academy of
Pediatrics)
The information contained on this Web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and
advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend
based on individual facts and circumstances.
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