Sometimes I want to spin this off into a music blog. As I type at my kitchen table, I’m floored by the delicate flamenco guitar wafting from my speakers. Alas, this is not a blog about melody, so I won’t be breaking down this particular piece note for note. I’ll leave that to my musician father.
This is, however, is a lifestyle site. We may shy away from analyzing compositions, but music should be playing (see?) a role in your life.
Perhaps the biggest claim made about music is that it makes you smarter. This broad statement isn’t particularly bankable, but there is a smidgen of merit. From the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine:
In 1993 Rauscher et al. made the surprising claim that, after listening to Mozart’s sonata for two pianos (K448) for 10 minutes, normal subjects showed significantly better spatial reasoning skills than after periods of listening to relaxation instructions designed to lower blood pressure or silence. The mean spatial IQ scores were 8 and 9 points higher after listening to the music than in the other two conditions. The enhancing effect did not extend beyond 10-15 minutes…However, Rauscher has stressed that the Mozart effect is limited to spatial temporal reasoning and that there is no enhancement of general intelligence…
You can’t substitute an hour browsing iTunes for a world-class education. It’s clear, however, music impacts our bodies far beyond simply pleasing our ears. From emedexpert.com:
Music can boost the immune function. Scientists explain that a particular type of music can create a positive and profound emotional experience, which leads to secretion of immune-boosting hormones. This helps contribute to a reduction in the factors responsible for illness. Listening to music or singing can also decrease levels of stress-related hormone cortisol. Higher levels of cortisol can lead to a decreased immune response.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that music is going to magically make you well if you’re sick. Wellness isn’t about a pill you can pop. Music is but a piece of the puzzle. Feeling strong is about how we treat others and ourselves and then taking healthy actions to find value at the margins. If listening to our favorite sounds can make our systems even slightly more equipped to protect us, is there even a downside? From Penn State Medical Center:
Music is an effective stress reducer in both healthy individuals and people with health problems. Research finds that listening to soothing music can decrease blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety levels in heart patients.
Guessing my Rage Against the Machine records don’t classify as soothing. Lucky for me, I’m no stranger to the likes of Coltrane, Schubert and Paco De Lucia. There’s something calming about the smell of yams baking (I’m in my kitchen, remember?) and notes floating. Soothing is good. From USA Today:
Listening to slow musical beats can alter brainwave speed, creating brainwave activity similar to when a person is meditating or in a hypnotic state. Some research suggests that using rhythmic stimuli (such as music) to induce these states can have a therapeutic effect, easing symptoms of migraines, PMS, and even behavioral issues.
Think of it like this: Music is an ingredient in your recipe, a veggie in your garden, a spice on your rack. It’s an enhancement to your life. If it makes you healthier even only peripherally, and I believe it does, we should navigate our days with a soundtrack.
Time to eat those yams,
Kap
Shawn says
“You can’t substitute an hour browsing iTunes for a world-class education”
But what about books on tape set to music??
Happy Friday Kap!!
Gabe Kapler says
That works, Shawn.
Tanner says
For me, music definitely makes everything more enjoyable, whether it’s working, exercising, driving, and definitely a good tune set to a sports montage. It can move you in so many ways. Good to know it can also make you healthier and smarter, although I doubt I owe much thanks to Dre and snoop for helping me through college years ago lol. Enjoy those yams and your weekend!
Gabe Kapler says
Ahhh, thanks, Tanner.
Bryan says
Kap, each day you solidify the thought in my mind that you are a modern-day Renaissance Man. Thanks for planting the seeds of education and curiosity in the minds of your readers; the crop continues to grow and flourish. I’ve also heard that soothing music helps flowers grow…am I getting too analogous?
Joel Sproul says
Well said, Bryan!
Gabe Kapler says
Bryan, it is impossible to be too analogous. How else are we to properly convey our passion? See you soon, thanks for the kind words.
Kap
Joel Sproul says
Great post, Kap. Music is there to move people – physically AND emotionally. We ll respond to different types, but that’s the beauty of it. And some of us like different music at different times. I have some Tool, some flamenco guitar, and some Coltrane and many others – depends on my mood and my environment.
Just heard about your FS1 broadcast tonight. I’ll b tuning in – music to my ears.
– Joel
Gabe Kapler says
See you there, Joel. Thanks for the support, brother.
Laura says
For me, music was my secret escape at a very early age. The world seemed just a little bit sweeter when Mario Lanza belted out a tune in Italian or when my sister played the grand piano in the living room. You smell sweet potatoes and I smell apple-pie. All good because music and food are ONE. My play-list is long because I love just about everything that makes my toes start tapping and my mind wonder. It could be another year or another time or another world away. I can’t name anyone who doesn’t like music of some form.
Gabe Kapler says
Boom. Nice job, Laura.
billstraehl says
Did you ever hear of a guy who died while listening to his favorite music? Or while sitting in a booth at a coffee shop….
Gabe Kapler says
Good call.
-Rhys says
A post that speaks to me, for sure. I have often told many people that when I hear a song, (from my past), it can usually tap into my memory to remind me of a time in my life, and possibly, an activity, and sometimes, even a specific event I attended. That being said, I am a firm believer that music, of any type, and depending on your mood, does wonders to enhance the overall experience. I listen to music when snowboarding, riding my motorcycle, or even just hanging at the house for better ambience.
Here’s to creating and enhancing all of our future experiences in life and being smarter for it!
Gabe Kapler says
Feel you, Rhys. Thanks for stopping by with a solid take.
darby wright says
Love to listen to the band live.Ed Kowalczyk singing is amazing.
Gabe Kapler says
Appreciate it as always, Darby.
John Beavers (@HutchBeav) says
Pink Floyd always speaks to me. I can get lost in their lyrics.
Gabe Kapler says
You and millions of others. Nice work, John.