By Frank Bublitz
Many people write and speak about the health benefits of music. There is much science behind the uses of music in our daily lives.
Today I want to focus on how music can help us manipulate our emotions to enjoy life even more than you have before!
First let’s talk about exercise. When you’re at a gym you probably notice how the “…beats are bumpin’…” as some people USED to say. (I am sure there’s some new kind of phrase).
Even people who are completely deaf literally feel the beat of music. And the type of music used primarily at gyms and concerts is designed to get you moving. If you pay attention to the beat of the music it can actually propel you to do exercises longer and with more intensity than without music.
However, you must vary the intensity of the music. Because just as the same type of exercise routine will eventually stop working as well as it did at first music can be much the same. Also, because music does activate ALL lobes of the brain in some way watch out that you don’t overload your brain with the same tempo and volume.
Music also has a lot to do with how you appreciate a movie. Dark comedies and dramas usually have music in a minor key. The brain interprets that type of music to make you nervous, raise your anticipation, and then “slam!” something dramatic happens.
A good romantic comedy, when it gets to the “boy loses girl” part, will usually have darker music to help set the mood. However, the darkness is not as intense at that stage of a film as it is in a straight drama. And you know you’re watching what people call a “Dramedy”, a dramatic film with a lot of comedic aspects if the music during action scenes is not as dark as the action scenes in other films.
Music in a major key is interpreted as “bright”. It causes the brain to release what are referred to by some as “Positive Endorphins”.
Next time you are watching a movie you might enjoy keeping track of what music is used at what point. Modern movies will often start out with music that gets integrated into the scene. A drama might begin with a song that you come to find out is playing on someone’s radio, phone, or turntable. An actor enters and turns it up, which shows you something dramatic will happen. Or turns it down to drop the stimulus and allow you to focus on the unfolding “exposition”, or set up of the first important portion of the scene.
One of the best things about music is that you can download it, listen to it at your favorite store, keep it on vinyl for nostalgia, or make it yourself. Even a tabletop can have a musical use as you tap your fingers along to the beat!
So go enjoy the beneficial effects of “…singing the blues…” or a “…happy song.” Because music is fun, and fun IS healthy!
