Music deeply affects us as human beings. Do you ever wonder why you feel so much better after listening to an uplifting song? When it comes to our mental health and mood, music helps us tremendously. Music not only alters our mood, but also inspires us to change for the better.

Music has so much history and alters based on our cultures. Music is what ties all cultures together. It is important for us to realize that music has such a powerful presence on our emotions, health, culture, beliefs, values, and physical activity.

It is amazing to see how music helps us to feel more connected to others and better understood about the things that we are going through. Do you have a song that you listen to regularly because you can relate to it?

If we really think about it, music provides a basis for education, such as the ABC’s. Thanks to the advances in neuroscience, we are able to see just how beneficial music truly is. This advancement is changing every day and we are able to see more benefits each day that music has on us as humans.

Our bodies create physical responses to music, such as the release of chemicals to the brain, including oxytocin (the love hormone) and dopamine (the happy hormone). Songs from our past can even help us become happier by remembering good memories from growing up.

What are some of your favorite songs that bring back memories from when you were growing up? Are there certain songs that create a happy place for you?

Here are important ways that music affects our mental health:

• Music improves our mood and reduces stress. Music makes us happier by making us more self-aware of our emotions. Soothing music can calm the mind and body, which allows us to relax and manage our stress levels. Music can help us cope and grieve by allowing us to express our feelings that we try to hold deep inside.
• Music increases our memory and helps with healing. This can vary based on the type of music, some people learn better when listening to soft, neutral, or instrumental music. Music has been shown to positively affect those with dementia and their memory. It has also been shown that music can help us manage our pain by reducing negative emotions.
• Music helps us sleep. Sleeping is hard for many people, but there have been great benefits to listening to soft music before bed. Music soothes us to help us sleep better. Try soft, soothing, meditation music when getting into bed. This can even help when trying to lower anxiety in stressful moments.

• Music can help improve our motivation. Fast and upbeat music motivates us to work out and be active. This motivation from upbeat music can also give us more energy to get tasks done. The faster the music, the faster our bodies want to move. Upbeat music can help motivate us to do activities that we may otherwise not do.

Is music something that is important in your life? Listening to music can be a great stress reliever. When you feel overwhelmed or sad, try listening to songs that make you happy or remind you of happy memories. Music keeps our brains engaged and constantly releasing good chemicals to keep us happy, such as dopamine.

Not all music benefits everyone, we are all different in our own unique way, so our music should not be any different. Try finding the right music that motivates you the most! Put on motivating and happy tunes and dance your heart out!