Music makes you feel better

Every month, Martha Roberts invites you to roadtest research around feeling good
16 FEBRUARY 2015

} by Psychologies

The project
Music can make us feel uplifted, contented and can improve our
health, too.
The aim
Whether youre performing it or listening to it, music can increase
your happiness (as well as the happiness of those around you.)
The theory
Music can lift the spirits. But science has now shown it has a
physical effect on our bodies, too. As we listen, music works on the
autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for controlling
blood pressure and heartbeat, as well as the limbic system, which is
responsible for feelings and emotions. A review of 23 studies by
Bradt & Dileo (in 2009) involving almost 1,500 people found music

helped to reduce blood pressure, heart rate and anxiety in heart

disease patients.
Music can benefit psychological wellbeing, too. Research from
theUniversity of Missouri published in The Journal Of Positive
Psychology found for the first time, that upbeat music can have a
very positive effect on our wellbeing.
People were successful at raising their positive mood as long asthe
music they listened to was happy and upbeat, said Dr Yuna
Ferguson, the lead author.
And participating in music-making can also increase our happiness,
and help us to get on better with others. A 2013 Finnish study of
1,000 pupils who took singing classes found they reported higher
satisfaction at school in almost every area.
Lead researcher Pivi-Sisko Eerola said synchronising with each
other may even make people like each other more than before.
Try it out

Listen to music every day. Just 25 minutes every

day for at least 10 days will help to prevent back pain and
make you sleep better. Keep up the habit beyond 10 days if
you can.

Play music while working out. Experts from

Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, USA, say listening to

music during exercise can help to release endorphins to

increase your endurance, boost your mood and distract you
from the discomfort you may feel during your exercise
session.

Pick music to suit the situation. Any type of classical

music, such as pieces by Mozart or Beethoven, can help
relieve muscle pain. For an effective, beneficial workout,
researchers say the best music is high energy, high tempo
music such as hip hop or dance.

Join a choir. Experts found that if we actively engage

with the music feeling it rather than letting it simply be in
the background it can give us extra emotional oomph and
make us feel happier (Ferguson and Sheldon, 2013).

Listen to music while working or studying. If youre

trying hard to crack that difficult report or youre struggling
with the final touches of a dissertation, music could help get
your brain in gear. A study of children ages eight to 11 found
that those who took extracurricular music classes,
developed higher verbal IQ, and visual abilities, in
comparison to those with no musical training (Forgeard et
al., 2008).
MARTHA ROBERTS is an award-winning UK health writer and mental
health blogger at mentalhealthwise.com