“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” ― Plato
Seemed to be, music & noise have the same physics underneath – sound, but so strikingly different effect. Music can be soothing, relaxing, delightful, can stir uplifting emotions, or melancholy, sadness, even tears.
Long time ago music has won an honorable place in our life. Whatever we do – commute, work out, walk, read, or sleep, we listen to music.
Recent times, science was generous enough revealing secrets of miraculous effect of music on our mental well-being. Music is a great medium for releasing stress, boosting our creativity, optimism, self-confidence, improving mood & cognitive performance. Might help eat less or sleep better.
Many experts believe that ‘prediction error’ accounts for most of music’s strongest emotional and pleasurable effects. Based on prior experience brain expects (predicts) what will happen next, when signal is different from expected this is “Prediction error”. This is how learning & decision making happen in the brain.
In addition to this impressive list of virtues, a new study (Gold, 2019) shows music, with no apparent biological value can engage the reward system (the same as for food or money) simply by manipulating expectations. Importantly, these signals motivate learning.
Time to update a playlist?!
Neuroscience of wellbeing 