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The Effect Of Music On The Brain

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Music has never been more accessible than it is today. It is constantly on television and the radio. Internet streaming has become the major outlet for music and the easiest way to listen to almost any song ever released. The top hits are written to be catchy and replayable. The producers focus on the appealing to the general public and its emotions. Music affects emotion, in positive and negative ways, with music theory, and with science. Music influences emotion in many different ways. Happy and upbeat tunes can lift a person’s mood, while slower, sad music can make someone feel that way. Higher energy music like rap and hip hop is generally played at sporting events. Athletes also listen to this type of music because it helps them get focused …show more content…

The emotional response is part of a physical response (Goldstein). Oxytocin, or the “Cuddle hormone,” can be released by singing (Goldstein). Listening to music can raise the amount of dopamine in the body. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter produced in the brain that helps control its reward and pleasure centers (Goldstein). Other hormones affected are cortisol, which is involved with arousal and stress; testosterone, which affects aggression and arousal; and triggers the release of endorphins (Lemonick). Emotions are usually felt in the heart, but most are stimulated in the brain. Much of the music signals received are processed in the right half of the brain (Lemonick). Different neurons are used when playing an instrument than the neurons that are used while listening to music. Neurons can also differ based on whether the song has vocals or if it is just an instrumental track (Lemonick). Listening to music while focusing can help boost brainpower (Hammond).
Some real world applications and examples reinforce the fact that music can be used to affect emotion. Again, the hormone Oxytocin is released by singing. It makes people feel good(Goldstein). This feeling can be transferred between a pregnant mother and her developing baby, and it creates a deep emotional bond between the mother and child (Goldstein). This is why infants are so drawn to their mother's’ voice . The sweet lullaby from her soft voice is familiar and comforting. It is easy to cling to in such a new and foreign

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