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Asked by Y E S to Ben, Sam, Kirsty, Maggi, Rose on 13 Jun 2017.
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Rose Turner answered on 13 Jun 2017:
Music seems to be linked to emotion – it can make us feel happy, for example. It can also make us feel sad, which can be a cathartic experience (catharsis is the releasing of emotions that can make us feel quite cleansed afterwards). Music also taps into lots of part of the brain, such as those areas responsible for language. So it might be that music supports our cognitive development in some ways. This idea has been supported by evidence that playing a musical instrument throughout our lives protects us against ‘cognitive decline’ which is the natural slowing down of our mental faculties that happens when we reach old age. I have worked with lots of people who have dementia, and sometimes people with dementia have lost the ability to speak, but interacting with music or listening to music can help people to speak again which is pretty amazing.
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Kirsty Miller answered on 16 Jun 2017:
Hey, that’s a great question! @Rose has given a brilliant answer, but I’d also like to add that music can bring people together and this is something that humans really benefit from – for our moods and our wellbeing. This is particularly so when you think of choirs, or attending concerts or festivals – it can really make you feel like you belong to something and bring about a sense of closeness and ‘oneness’ (think of everyone jumping or singing together at a concert 🙂 )
At a really simple level, it can also just bring people together as friends – if you both like the same bands or music. Again,this gives you something in common which can help you develop a friendship which improves your wellbeing.
I think in the end, music is a pretty powerful thing that can really affect us and tap into parts of our brain that are linked to emotion – so if we experience that with other people, it can lead to quite a powerful connection!
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