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substantiated music ’ s health benefi ts. The infl uence of music is
boundless; think about its role in your life. Music can excite; it can
relax; and it can transport, carrying us from the present to some
point in the past. A song can produce a fl ood of memories. Music ’ s
power in the human experience is not a new phenomenon. In
fact, early humans believed that music could free the body of evil
spirits. Prominent scholars throughout history — Plato, Pythagoras,
Aristotle, and Al-Farabi (known as Alpharabius in Europe) — have
recognized the restorative effects of music. More recently, music
has been shown to elicit a therapeutic relaxation response in the
body, leading to multiple health benefi ts.
According to early research in this area, stress and relaxation
responses are mutually exclusive events. Music may act as a distrac-
tion or a diversion from stressful stimuli, or it may act directly on the
autonomic nervous system. When the relaxation response occurs,
the stress response is interrupted and anxiety levels decrease. By
mediating the response of the parasympathetic division of the
nervous system, relaxing music exerts a protective effect on the heart.
As the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system increases,
stress levels in the body decrease. Heart rate, blood pressure, and
myocardial oxygen requirements also decrease. These responses
ultimately have a positive effect on heart health. Multiple research
studies have shown that music therapy improves patient outcomes
after a heart attack.
The use of music as a therapeutic healing method is gaining in
popularity, as evidenced by the growing body of relevant research. In
addition to benefi ting heart patients, music therapy has been used
to help terminally ill patients decrease depressive symptoms, lessen
social isolation, and increase communication, self - expression, and
relaxation.
As I combed the latest research on the health benefi ts of
music, it became clear that music, in general, is good for you.
Relaxation music was the primary type that was researched, but
self - selected music was also found to be benefi cial, and even more
so when you actively sang or played an instrument. So, as you read
about the following research studies, be mindful of what music