Music can often be considered mindless entertainment, yet that doesn’t have to be the case. While there’s no disputing some of the filth on top of the charts is out there, we shouldn’t lose sight of its potential benefits if done well.
So what makes pop tick? Here are a few ways it affects our brains.
It Increases Self-Esteem
Pop music may receive some criticism in certain circles, yet it remains the most widely consumed form of music. Records sell well, concert audiences fill arenas to capacity and radio stations play it to listeners’ ears regularly. Pop’s catchy melodies and upbeat rhythms have an undeniable power to make listeners feel good about themselves; perhaps its success lies within how our brain processes music?
According to researchers, when you listen to music your auditory cortex relays that information to the amygdala of your brain which is associated with feelings of pleasure and reward. Music can also trigger dopamine release which gives us feelings of happiness and motivation.
Dopamine’s release can be so rapid that we often anticipate it and feel its rush before listening to any music at all! When listening to songs we enjoy, our body releases endorphins – natural pain relievers and stress-relievers. Together these substances can boost our immune systems by producing antibodies more readily – thus explaining why methods like music therapy have proven so successful.
Not all genres of music have the same impact on self-esteem; its influence depends on lyrics, beat, and how upbeat or uptempo the music is. Rock music has long been linked with feelings of empowerment while songs that focus on heartbreak or hardship can actually cause people to evaluate themselves negatively.
Studies have overwhelmingly concluded that music can boost both mood and memory. Furthermore, music therapy can be used as a healing and rehabilitation tool – as demonstrated in one research paper published by Psychology of Music showing improvement of patients’ memories after just one session! While these findings were preliminary in nature, they indicate the promise of using music in treating different mental health disorders; further emphasizing its importance when finding music that speaks directly to you personally.
It Gets You Moving
No matter where we listen to pop music – at a club or during our commute – pop songs are designed to get our bodies moving. One key factor that determines our experience of any particular song is its tempo; research indicates that faster songs tend to make us feel more energetic. Furthermore, rhythm creates momentum while making the tune catchier; loudness also has an important part to play as it grabs listener attention.
Listening to popular music stimulates our auditory cortex, sending its beat directly to our limbic system and stimulating release of dopamine, which is associated with feelings of reward and pleasure.
That is why so many people enjoy singing along to their favorite tunes; our bodies respond by producing serotonin and dopamine hormones as we sing, as well as activating facial and throat muscles. Since repetition stimulates our brains, this may explain why so many of us gravitate to repeating certain songs over and over.
A great pop song should combine both novelty and familiarity; newcomers should feel familiar with it yet still find it engaging enough to stay engaged with it. Furthermore, lyrics must convey positive messages or create happy associations; this helps activate our brain’s “feel-good” mechanism which releases dopamine when we experience pleasurable moments.
Music can help us enhance physical performance during workouts. Studies have revealed that when exercising to classical music, your brain perceives your efforts as less strenuous than those who exercise to popular songs – because classical music promotes mental relaxation by decreasing aggression levels and distracing our focus from fatigue caused by exercising.
Since the 1950s, popular music has enjoyed steady popularity; however, its nature and appeal has changed with time. For instance, during 2008 economic crisis party music featuring partying and escapism became immensely popular as an escape. Meanwhile in 2010, pop musicians like Justin Bieber and Rihanna produced music focused more on dancing rather than heartache.
It Helps You Learn
Many students swear by music when studying. This can help them stay more focused; its rhythms keep their attention while making it more likely they’ll stick with difficult tasks than if reading or talking alone. Furthermore, listening to music allows the mind to work better by moving around inside it while providing information and concentration on things which matter – however choosing appropriate genres of songs is essential for optimal success when listening.
Classical is often the go-to genre when starting an instrument, as it provides a solid base and builds musical “ears”. But what about pop music? Parents sometimes worry that their children’s interest in pop will ruin their abilities to learn classical or any other genre?
Pop music can play an invaluable role in learning. Although it may seem counter-intuitive, pop can actually speed up instrument learning for younger students by making music more accessible to them and providing melodic tunes they can remember more easily – something more traditional instruments might struggle with.
One study demonstrated that children listening to BritPop band Blur performed better on tests than those listening to Mozart, due to how pop music can put people into an upbeat state that motivates them to work harder. Researchers explained this result with its positive mood-elevating properties versus classical music’s less stimulating affect.
No matter what style of music you’re listening to, it will activate both hemispheres of the brain simultaneously – this can help strengthen memory recall as well as encourage creative output!
Music can also help relieve stress. Listening to music causes the brain to release dopamine, a neurotransmitter which promotes feelings of happiness and satisfaction, which in turn improves your mood and increases immunoglobulin A production – an antibody essential for fighting off diseases in your body. No matter if you prefer piano, drums or guitar – music is universal language of emotion which will teach you all sorts of skills that you’d otherwise never acquire otherwise.
It Helps You Create
Pop music has the power to elevate our moods and form powerful emotional connections between musicians and listeners alike. Pop musicians employ catchy hooks and relatable lyrics that touch upon universal feelings like heartbreak, love and loss as well as tackle social issues that people face daily such as racism and sexism in their lyrics.
Studies show that listening to music has many positive benefits on the mind, such as relieving stress and pain, as well as improving memory and learning. But it’s important to choose wisely what kind of music you listen to as some types may actually have detrimental results, like violent lyrics amplifying aggression while extended exposure to high volume can cause hearing loss.
When listening to pop songs, your auditory cortex conveys their rhythmic beat directly to your brain, making it easier for you to dance or sing along. That is why many pop songs feature fast tempos – they aim to get blood pumping quickly while setting emotions soaring!
According to a recent study, chord progressions in pop music also play a key role in how pleasurable its sounds are. Researchers examined over 80,000 chords from 745 pop songs and discovered that those that most delighted listeners contained just the right balance of uncertainty and surprise – in other words, unpredictable and unexpected chords were generally more pleasant to listeners.
Pop music’s power to uplift us lies in its ability to bring back happy memories and emotions. Psychotherapist Jordan Vyas-Lee of London’s Kove Clinic notes that listening to upbeat tunes activates neural networks that store personal and emotional memories; this allows us to develop problem solving techniques more quickly while creating adaptive, positive behavioral repertoires.
Understanding how music influences our brain can be challenging; its effects depend on both genetic and environmental influences that determine our responses to sound. By learning more about popular music’s effect on the mind, however, we can gain greater appreciation of its effects while finding ways to use it effectively.