The Influence of Music
Music in the car can cause teen drivers to tune out https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/motr/music-in-the-car-can-cause-teen-drivers-to-tune-out.html
The influence of music on our lives https://exploringyourmind.com/influence-music-lives/
Under the influence of...Music? https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/05/under-the-influence-ofmusic/
The influence of music on motor behavior and select physiological and psychological variables : (Vol. 14,1). ( to access this MTSU ebook, type in the author's name ( Michael Nordvall) on The OregonPDF in Health & Performance under the All tab )
The Influence of Music
Did you know that on average, teens spend 2.5 hours per day listening to music, according to a 2008 article? Music is a universal language, capable of awakening emotions and sensations that are distinctive to us. It’s kind of like chocolate, almost everyone loves it. It doesn’t matter the genre you listen to or the culture that you come from, music influences our mind/body, creates a meaning unique to us all, affects our daily lives, and affects us when we are driving.
To start off, music has the ability to influence our mind and body. According to the University of Florida, music strengthens learning and memory, regulates hormones related to stress, evokes pleasant experiences and memories, affects the heartbeat, blood pressure and pulse, and modulates the speed of our brain waves. Scientists have also proven that good music makes us healthier by strengthening our immune system. Cows are able to milk more when Mozart’s sonatas are played for them, plants flourish more when there is background music. The key is to find a music rhythm that works for us, and it will benefit us in any given situation. Furthermore, during a study conducted by Ferguson, Carbonneau, and Chambliss, subjects reported feeling more relaxed and comfortable when listening to music during a karate drill. Overall, each of these factors contribute to the influence of music on our mind and on our body.
In addition, music can create a special meaning that is unique to each of us individually. The physiological responses of a music listener can be affected strongly by his or her increased knowledge, understanding, and musical preferences. Also, according to Vanderark and Ely (1992), those who major in music listen more analytically to music compared to those who major in Biology. In other words, people in a music major will analyze a song based off the lyrical interpretation that the artist wants to convey, while those in a biology major will pay more attention to the rhythm and beat of a song.
Next, music also has a positive affect on our daily lives. Krtyer in 1950 believed that for some tasks noise improved performance, and that different sounds have effects on feelings. Music has the ability to improve our performance of certain tasks, like homework for example. For a lot of us, it can be more manageable to complete homework when we have music on in the background. To add on to that, sounds can also affect our feelings or even trigger certain memories or experiences that can boost our mood altogether. In the words of Elvis Presley: “Rock n’ roll music, if you like it, if you feel it, you can’t help but move to it.”
Lastly, music can affect us when we are driving. In a study conducted by the University of Neger, teens between the age of 17 and 18 with a driver’s license for seven months were used. When listening to their own choice of music, 27 had verbal warnings and 17 required steering or braking by the instructor to prevent an accident. However, in a different experiment conducted by the University of Groningen, young adults in their 20’s and 30’s were used in a study and there was little to no effect on their driving. In some cases of the study, music even improved their performance of driving.
In conclusion, music affects each of us everyday without us even realizing it. Music can influence our mind and body, creates a unique meaning to each of us, affects our daily lives, and affects the way that we drive. With the right kind of music, we can all take a big step towards the positive benefits that music provides every day, all over the world.
Quiz Questions:
- What affects our performance, according to Plutchik?
- What type of music stimulates the sympathetic nervous system?
- How much music do teens listen to a day, on average?
- What percent of popular rock songs have lyrics involving drugs and/or alcohol?
Discussion Questions:
- What kind of music do you listen to when you study, and how does it affect you?
- Do you believe music is a universal language? Why or why not?
- How do you think live music affects you?
- Why do you think music is such a universally loved creative medium?
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.