From the jarring tunes that awaken one in the morning to the breathtaking melodies that propel one toward pursuing one’s boldest passions, music is constant. Functionally, it stimulates multiple parts of the brain, integrating specific temporal gyri, which help process tone and pitch, the cerebellum, which helps process and regulate rhythm and timing, and the amygdala and hippocampus, which play a role in emotions and memories. But how does music do this? What aspects of a song prompt one to recall long-lost memories or fill one’s eyes with tears? And to what extent is music transforming the mind?
It may not be obvious, but the brain goes through an abundance of computations to process a single sound, let alone an entire composition. The process by which sound is perceived is incredibly complex, starting with sound waves entering the ear, striking the eardrum, and causing vibrations that are converted into electric signals. These signals then travel by sensory nerves to the brainstem and disperse to activate auditory cortices.
Because music can activate several brain networks, it can help keep a myriad of pathways strong, including those involved in well-being and cognitive function. By actively listening to music and using these pathways, networks can be maintained. When exposed to new music, the brain is challenged in a way that is different from listening to familiar music. Part of the reason why some listen to the same songs is that familiarity with them triggers dopamine rushes. The intensity of these rushes, though, diminishes with time when listening to the same music. New tunes, however, rewire the dopamine system by creating new associations that further enhance the euphoric rush felt when a song well-liked is played, and it is this enhancement that improves memory recollection (Ferreri et al., 2021).
The parts of the brain involved in emotion are not only activated during emotional music, but also synchronized, supporting the notion that listening to music can reduce anxiety and blood pressure and improve sleep quality, mood, and memory (White, 1999). Music has also been shown to stimulate neurogenesis, a process where new neurons can be formed or generated. A study conducted on canaries revealed that they stop singing in autumn, which is the time when brain cells associated with song generation begin to die (Brainard & Doupe, 2013). Their neurons grew back over the winter months, and they relearn their songs in the coming spring (Brainard & Doupe, 2013). Other studies have shown that playing an instrument improves multitasking components of the brain. One, in particular, found that music training over the course of five years in children demonstrated benefits in cognitive skills and decision making, also leading to further changes in brain structures (Miendlarzewska & Trost, 2013). The brains of children studying music ultimately had a stronger connection between the right and left hemispheres of their brains, helping them become creative and efficient problem solvers per the idea of hemispheric lateralization (Miendlarzewska & Trost, 2013).
During childhood, the brain undergoes synaptic pruning—a major neuron dump that removes any cells perceived as unnecessary. Thus, it is easier to teach language and music to younger children who have an excess of neurons ready to make connections prior to a large synaptic pruning event (Hyde et al., 2009). Learning music as a child initiates the development of neuroplastic changes, and these changes in brain connectivity can potentially activate certain regions that promote healing. Thus, the future looks bright, as one could use this knowledge to build on the therapeutic power of music for patients with dementia, depression, and other neurological disorders.
These benefits were thought to be limited to classical music, which was believed to be the only genre that can lead to this increase in brain activity. In fact, a phenomenon known as the “Mozart Effect” was said to explain how surgeons are able to focus more intently on patients with classical music in the background (K. J. Pauwels et al., 2014). Recent studies, however, have shown that people with dementia respond better to the music they grew up listening to because they associate the tunes with their personal and cultural identities (McDermot, Orrell & Ridder, 2014). Playing a favored music genre stimulates different parts of the brain, suggesting that memories associated with music are emotional ones that can never be erased, even in those suffering from Alzheimer’s.
In some of humanity’s darkest times, music served as a solace, so it is no surprise that it is known as the “universal language of mankind” (Gottlieb, 2023). Many people use music to connect, console, and lift spirits. No matter where in the world one travels, no matter what language the people in the region speak, one can always share the exhilarating sensation of bonding over a tune and now consider the impact this has on neural processes.
About the Author
Damla Yesil is a rising sophomore at Harvard College, studying Neuroscience and Music.
References
It may not be obvious, but the brain goes through an abundance of computations to process a single sound, let alone an entire composition. The process by which sound is perceived is incredibly complex, starting with sound waves entering the ear, striking the eardrum, and causing vibrations that are converted into electric signals. These signals then travel by sensory nerves to the brainstem and disperse to activate auditory cortices.
Because music can activate several brain networks, it can help keep a myriad of pathways strong, including those involved in well-being and cognitive function. By actively listening to music and using these pathways, networks can be maintained. When exposed to new music, the brain is challenged in a way that is different from listening to familiar music. Part of the reason why some listen to the same songs is that familiarity with them triggers dopamine rushes. The intensity of these rushes, though, diminishes with time when listening to the same music. New tunes, however, rewire the dopamine system by creating new associations that further enhance the euphoric rush felt when a song well-liked is played, and it is this enhancement that improves memory recollection (Ferreri et al., 2021).
The parts of the brain involved in emotion are not only activated during emotional music, but also synchronized, supporting the notion that listening to music can reduce anxiety and blood pressure and improve sleep quality, mood, and memory (White, 1999). Music has also been shown to stimulate neurogenesis, a process where new neurons can be formed or generated. A study conducted on canaries revealed that they stop singing in autumn, which is the time when brain cells associated with song generation begin to die (Brainard & Doupe, 2013). Their neurons grew back over the winter months, and they relearn their songs in the coming spring (Brainard & Doupe, 2013). Other studies have shown that playing an instrument improves multitasking components of the brain. One, in particular, found that music training over the course of five years in children demonstrated benefits in cognitive skills and decision making, also leading to further changes in brain structures (Miendlarzewska & Trost, 2013). The brains of children studying music ultimately had a stronger connection between the right and left hemispheres of their brains, helping them become creative and efficient problem solvers per the idea of hemispheric lateralization (Miendlarzewska & Trost, 2013).
During childhood, the brain undergoes synaptic pruning—a major neuron dump that removes any cells perceived as unnecessary. Thus, it is easier to teach language and music to younger children who have an excess of neurons ready to make connections prior to a large synaptic pruning event (Hyde et al., 2009). Learning music as a child initiates the development of neuroplastic changes, and these changes in brain connectivity can potentially activate certain regions that promote healing. Thus, the future looks bright, as one could use this knowledge to build on the therapeutic power of music for patients with dementia, depression, and other neurological disorders.
These benefits were thought to be limited to classical music, which was believed to be the only genre that can lead to this increase in brain activity. In fact, a phenomenon known as the “Mozart Effect” was said to explain how surgeons are able to focus more intently on patients with classical music in the background (K. J. Pauwels et al., 2014). Recent studies, however, have shown that people with dementia respond better to the music they grew up listening to because they associate the tunes with their personal and cultural identities (McDermot, Orrell & Ridder, 2014). Playing a favored music genre stimulates different parts of the brain, suggesting that memories associated with music are emotional ones that can never be erased, even in those suffering from Alzheimer’s.
In some of humanity’s darkest times, music served as a solace, so it is no surprise that it is known as the “universal language of mankind” (Gottlieb, 2023). Many people use music to connect, console, and lift spirits. No matter where in the world one travels, no matter what language the people in the region speak, one can always share the exhilarating sensation of bonding over a tune and now consider the impact this has on neural processes.
About the Author
Damla Yesil is a rising sophomore at Harvard College, studying Neuroscience and Music.
References
- Brainard, M. S., & Doupe, A. J. (2013). Translating birdsong: Songbirds as a model for basic and Applied Medical Research. Annual review of neuroscience.
- Ferreri, Laura, Mas-Herrero, Ernest, Cardona, Gemma, J. Zatorre Robert, M. Antonijoan Rosa, Valle Marta, Riba, Jordi, Ripollés Pablo, & Rodriguez-Fornells, Antoni. (2021). Dopamine modulations of reward‐driven music memory consolidation ….
- Gottlieb, Jed. (2023). New Harvard Study Says Music is universal language. Harvard Gazette.
- Hyde, K. L., Lerch, J., Norton, A., Forgeard, M., Winner, E., Evans, A. C., & Schlaug, G. (2009). Musical training shapes structural brain development. The Journal of neuroscience: the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience.
- K. J. Pauwels, Ernest, Volterrani, Duccio, Mariani, Giuliano, Kostkiewics, Magdalena. (2014). Mozart, Music and Medicine. Medical principles and practice: international journal of the Kuwait University, Health Science Centre.
- McDermott, O., Orrell, M., & Ridder, H. M. (2014). The importance of music for people with dementia: The perspectives of people with dementia, family carers, staff and Music Therapists. Aging & mental health.
- Miendlarzewska, E. A., & Trost, W. J. (2014). How musical training affects cognitive development: Rhythm, reward and other modulating variables. Frontiers in neuroscience.
- White, J.M. (1999). Effects of relaxing music on cardiac autonomic balance and anxiety after acute myocardial infarction. American journal of critical care: an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.
