Most people are familiar with the Mozart effect, the idea that listening to classical music can make people smarter. Actually, this phenomenon has generated so much attention (and increasing skepticism) that it has already been ingrained in our popular culture. However, many are still unfamiliar with the multiple other (honestly, much cooler) effects that music can have on the mind and the body. And trust me, there are a lot.
For example, did you know that music could be used to speed up stroke recovery? While this field is still being extensively researched, multiple experiments have showed that music does have a discernible effect on the recovery speed of stroke victims. This apparently not only applied to patients who physically learned to play instruments (and sing karaoke!) but also to patients who did nothing special but simply listen to music for a couple of hours a day. What’s even more awesome is that the patients allegedly listened to music that they chose themselves. So for those who aren’t big fans of classical music, the good news is that listening to pop or classic rock might also have the same effect. Thus, perhaps simply listening to music (in combination with traditional forms of therapy) could lead a revolution in the future treatment of stroke victims.
That’s far from the only medical effect that listening to music has. In fact, music has been attributed to assist in treating all types of different conditions. Another beneficial effect of listening to music is that it can reduce stress. While we might utilize this by unwinding with our iPod after a hectic day at school, doctors and researchers are looking at more ambitious applications of this effect. This includes stuff that is both relatively mundane (eg. relieving stress during pregancies) and that is actually quite awesome (eg. while treating heart disease and cancer).
However, the applications of music don’t stop there. If you’re looking for an effect of music completely unrelated to medicine, you might be interested to know that listening to music might be able to help students learn more efficiently. The most obvious benefit to listening to music is that it can block out annoying environmental distractions. In addition, apparently listening to music also puts students in a better state for certain types of schoolwork. In fact, there is evidence that music not only increases happiness and motivation in students, but also increases short term memory while reducing hyperactivity. (Note that this does not mean that it’s cool to listen to music during a school lesson or lecture.)
While all that may sound impressive, in the grand scheme of things, the above examples may only constitute a small portion of what music can do. There is also (less well-documented) proof that music can do other useful things such as assisting us in relieving pain, learning new languages and becoming a space ninja (hopefully).