W końcu przebrnęliśmy jesień i dotarliśmy do upragnionego czasu Bożego Narodzenia. Przed nami wigilie klasowe, przedstawienie i życzenia w auli, a po nich prawie dwa tygodnie świętowania, spędzania czasu z rodziną, spacerów, zaczytywania się we wspaniałych książkach (prezentach?), zasłuchiwania się w ekscytującej muzyce. W najnowszym numerze AimHigh dowiemy się z artykułu Julii Drohobyckiej o korzyściach dla naszego organizmu płynących z faktu właśnie słuchania muzyki. Warto przeczytać i z zapoznać się z ciekawymi wnioskami!
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How does music affect our lives?
I think we all have one person in our lives who listens to music all the time, goes everywhere with headphones and knows best about it, but do we know how music affects that person’s life?
We all have a moment when we need to listen to music, to relax, to focus on something more or when we just get bored. However, it can affect everyone differently. Music has the quality of deeply affecting our mental states and raise our mood. When does music change the way we feel?
Music can give us energy and motivate us. When we’re worried about something we need, like an important test or a job interview, it can help us calm down, and when we’re overwhelmed or tired, it can inspire us again or encourage us to move forward. Listening to high-tempo songs can also affect the effectiveness of our workouts, so it also affects our physical health.
Does music influence our thoughts and actions? Of course it does. Thanks to it, we can evoke our memories, subconscious thoughts, emotions and interests. We are also influenced by artists who put their heart and soul into writing a song, which makes us feel connected to other people, their difficulties, challenges and emotions.
Music is also used in various therapies. There is so-called music therapy, which is used to improve memory and attention and can have a positive effect on people suffering from the Alzheimer’s disease. It can also potentially affect diseases, such as depression or on our productivity. Studies also show that listening to and making music can change the way the brain works. When we listen to our favorite songs, almost all areas of the brain are active at the same time.
Oxytocin is the so-called ‘love hormone’, which is stimulated when we are listening to music. It makes us feel more inclined to engage with people or build trust between people. Music also stimulates other chemicals that improve our well-being, for example: melatonin, adrenaline and noradrenaline.
According to other research, music also improves students’ learning outcomes and teachers’ socio-emotional skills. Students who attend music classes also showed better attendance and graduation rates, higher average test scores. The students who attended these classes did much better than their peers who had no contact with music.
As we see, music affects many factors in our lives, which is why listening to music is so common among us. Maybe now is a good time to find your musical taste and get the most out of it!
Julia Drohobycka (2b)
