If there is one Song in your soulchanting it aloud, either in your way to work in the morning or in a karaoke with friends. Okay if you are not the next Beyoncé.
Make musiceven if we are not especially good, it can still be beneficial For us.
Research has constantly demonstrated that music has the power of Calm the mind, promote brain health and approach people.
But although music can get trapped in our head or make us want to move and dance, sometimes it is difficult for us to gather the value to do it ourselves.
“No one says you shouldn’t jog if you’re not good in that,” said Daniel Levitin, Professor Emeritus of Neuroscience at the McGill University and Dean of Arts and Humanities at the Minerva University. “That is not the point.”
Music can be Powerful and curative.
“It can move us emotionally, you can physically move, it can connect with other people”, Which are important elements of the Mental healthsaid Daniel Bowling, professor of psychiatry and Behavior Sciences in the Stanford Medicine School that investigates treatments based on music for mental health.
Studies have shown that Listen to music that we enjoy It is associated with an older subjective well -beingstress reduction and better management of negative emotions, while reinforcing the positive ones, and that can be an effective way to relieve feelings of depression and anxiety.
Given its pleasant character, it is not surprising that music releases Dopamine and activate the system brain reward.
Making music with the voice or another instrument adds another dimension to the experience.
Instead of passively listening to what is reproduced, “you get a certain agencyyou appropriate what is happening and you can control it, ”said Bowling.
A 2022 study with 305 older adults reported that Sing Karaoke I was related to greater feelings of fluency and sense in life. Another study with 8,000 Swedish twins found to spend more time playing music was associated with a better emotional awareness.
As with any other ability, “the more you invest, the more you develop, and the deepest in the connection and more involve your brainyou’re going to get more wealth, ”said Bowling.
Making music can Protect brain health As we age and strengthen our cognitive reservethat is, how resilient our brain is over time. “It facilitates the neuroplasticity And the creation of new neuronal connections even if you are not good in it, ”said Levitin.
A study with 132 older adults reported that six months of practice of piano either Active music listening (music lessons and a structured way of listening) led to increases in the Gray matter of the brain and improvements in the auditory memoryor short -term memory of sounds. Practice piano for a year is associated with a better cognitive flexibilityaccording to a 2025 study with 153 older adults.
Learning to play music means that we can “get involved physically and mentally with some of the bigger works never produced by some of the brighter minds that they have lived, ”said Levitin, who is also a musician. You can“ sit on the piano and place the fingers where he put them Chopin“, said.
Make music with others – in a choir, an improvised session or in a karaoke bar— It enhances its benefits.
Our behaviors are synchronize with the rhythm And among themselves. Even something as simple as Mark the rhythm With another person it makes us feel closer to her than if we mark the rhythm in a deincronized way, according to the investigation.
Music too Synchronize our brainsand even more when we do it together instead of just listening. Brain image studies have shown that neuronal activity It becomes more similar in the brains of people who participate in the same music.
Sing in a group It can decrease the Cortisola stress hormone, and increase the release of oxytocinan important neuropeptide and hormone for the social link. Oxytocin release can further amplify the reward system, so if “you have a very positive social experience, it can be even more reinforcing,” Bowling said.
A 2015 study found that singing can serve as a Effective break and accelerate the creation of social ties and feelings of closeness.
Singing in groups is “the best possible way of dissolve the ego that helps you feel more connected to people around you and part of something bigger”Said Levitin.
During most of the human historyWe didn’t have recorded music, Bowling said. “We had to Make music and do it with other people to experience that. So it is embedded in a Social context During much of our evolution and human development, ”he said.
“The advice I have for Touch an instrument and sing It’s that it’s never too late to start, ”said Levitin.
- Start little by little. Even alone listen to music It can be beneficial and is the most accessible way to have a musical experience. Then, you can mark the rhythm with your favorite songs and, if you wish, sing or play with an instrument, Bowling said.
- Consider playing music with other people. “Humanity always sang together,” Levitin said. “Sing It was something that everyone did naturally, and nobody said: ‘You are not good enough. “
But “don’t try to join a choir Unless that’s what you want to do, “said Bowling.” If you don’t feel comfortable doing it with others, you can also start at the Privacy of your shower or your car ”.
- Focus on participation, not in perfection. This change of mentality can help with the feelings of shyness, although it can still be difficult, said Bowling, who grew up playing classic piano.
The feelings of domain and trust They come with time and practice, but those are “additional” benefits; the real music benefits “Recompensa, social connection and emotion,” they are “quite accessible,” said Bowling.
Levitin took classes with Joni Mitchell To improve your song. The most important thing you learned?
“Stop sounding like a singer and simply let the song history Go out, ”he said.
(c) 2025, The Washington Post
