#music and health

[norahmusic]

Why do melodies bring us out our feelings?

Songs are perceived emotionally by our senses through melody and harmony. Melody is the part of a song that gets wrapped in your brain after listening to it. Rhythm is what sets the tone of a melody. Melody consists of a pitch or the sequence of sounds arranged as a series of notes and duration of each one of the notes on such sequence of notes (1). Harmony progression is how notes are combined simultaneously in a melody. Minor chords are used to provide low emotions and major chords usually convey happiness and optimism. Dissonant harmonies introduce tension and consonant harmonies stability and resolution. These progressions are modulated by music dynamics such as crescendos (growing intensity) and decrescendos (decreasing intensity) on each piece, emphasizing key moments.

The first known melody is dated on 1400 B.C and was discovered on a clay tablet in Syria (1).  It is called “Hurrian Hymn No.6” (2). In prehistory, humans mimicked sunrises and sunsets as they perceived them in nature, connecting with their inner being and nature. Melodies are a result of mirroring and mimicking our environment and ambient. This is also known as emotional resonance (3). Since our brains recognize better a repeated pattern than a new one, earworms become a successful element inside a melody. Notes combination, predictability and repetition on melodies composition makes our brain recognise as familiar (9) due to its structure and harmony.

Music is a universal language, like Mathematics. Rhythm and the way notes are combined is what produce a melody of one type or another. Melodies, spoken language and time perception of sound, are processed differently on each hemisphere, speaking processing happens in the left and melodic processing on the right auditory cortex (4). We have in common the shape and composition as human beings (senses to perceive the ambient when it comes to feel music and listen to another person speaking for instance), therefore, we share the same scale of feelings (perception varies on each one of us since our background and evolution are different). A Melody can shake and make shiver any human across the globe, jumping over any barrier we attempt to put in between us.

Rhythms have to do with timing, and how a same structure of chords and notes can seem so different, even if we compare the “ingredients” of two melodies and as a result we see they seem to be equal at first sight but they don´t sound the same when heard because “the way they are mixed down” is different. Rhythm is the heartbeat of a melody, and it synchronizes with our heartbeats when we expose ourselves to a song. When we listen to a song we end up moving our body at that same beat. Synchronizing with rhythm and drumming has been used as an evolutive resource, to keep the social group together, strengthen bonds and improve chances of survival (4) since prehistory.

Music makes us feel good, can surprise us, helps us to appraise things and music itself, it is action intended. It helps us being synchronized with our feelings, evokes memories and realizes past emotions, connects us and promotes the use of our imagination. Fast beats and bright tones can make us motivate ourselves inducing more positive emotions and slow beats have the opposite effect on us. Rhythmic patterns evoke emotional responses on our brain and body. Tensions and releases created within rhythm disrupt the pattern of a melody, solving it after a number of compasses releasing the tension, providing a sense of pleasure in the brain when heard. We synchronize with notes, chords and beats; hence we are always exposed to connect with what we are listening to. We connect with melodies due to emotional resonance, when listening to a song, we release mirror neurons and emotional contagion takes place, making us to live that story while the song is playing as if it was our own story. Lyrics act as a storyteller, sharing a story about Love and Loss, a Bad Day, Happiness and Joy, Friendship, Personal Liberation, Life, the Magic of Minor or a World of Fantasy (5). Singing along to the melody you are listening to, makes us feeling like being part of that story for a while, activating our sense of happiness and feeling of being understood, making us feel relieved.

Lyrics also encourage our intellect with subliminal messages we encounter when we listen carefully to a composition. Spoken language elevates music higher bringing creativity to a half-hidden level that our brains identify as puzzles, and it does it expressing and meaning more than what we literally hear in a verse, a chorus, or a bridge within the song we are listening to. Songs send hidden messages we encounter when we mirror with what it´s telling us, being able to understand through our own experiences and resonating with those. Unexpected changes in melodies such as chord progression or key change brings us a feeling of surprise that intensifies our emotional response as listeners rewarding us with pleasure afterwards. This is why melodies are so engaging, they speak right to our heart and our brain through a language we can understand.

Melodies help us enhancing our memory unlocking “lost” memories of a past and good moment for instance, letting us have a better perception of what happened if that memory wasn´t a good experience and easing our perception of that moment. Music helps to have more quality of life and it helps to have a “better organized closet” up there our shoulders. The feeling of pleasure that our body experiment when listening to a calming and gentle melodies, triggers the production of “happy hormones” (6). Melodies can act as painkillers for chronic pain patients as well, easing the stress they experiment while suffering pain giving the brain and body a more than needed break, helping it to self-regulate better for a while and improving health in the middle and long term. The same logic works for healthcare providers, music can also relieve stress and making their daily work a bit better.

We can use music and melodies to perform a better activity (7). A runner may listen to more boosting melodies than dancers or chronic-pain patients, because the response of the endocrine system differs while listening to those different melodies, and so is our physical activity. Other more “unstructured, floaty and dreamy” melodies can be used to empower and boost creativity on artists or people who develop creative work. There are different types of components linked to positive emotions (8). Melodies can lift up your mood with brighter timbre keys or calm you down with more relaxed tunes, it brings us companion when feeling lonely with minor tones and cheering us up when we are feeling down with major tones.

This is how melodies connect with us and makes us connect among us. Music is live human history. A history of our experiences, the way we deal with them and how we progress in solving them. The common threads we use to share this information among us are melodies and songs. It is our choice with which type of thread we would like to be connected.

Thanks for smiling. Enjoy the sunset!

References:

(1) How Melody and Harmony evokes emotion, https://medium.com/@athilk25/the-power-of-melody-and-harmony-how-music-evokes-emotion-82693f4b7bf3 | https://www.masterclass.com/articles/music-101-what-is-melody#7zAvYMrQjd5ql5XMcURZu6

(2) The Oldest Known Melody, https://youtu.be/QpxN2VXPMLc

(3) The Psychology of music: how melodies, rhythms and lyrics impact our emotions, https://medium.com/@pinnacleinsights369/the-psychology-of-music-how-melodies-rhythms-and-lyrics-impact-our-emotions-a4f3c5877d21  | https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20130418-why-does-music-make-us-feel-good

(4) Cognitive Processing in Music and Language, https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0073372 | https://neuro-class.com/la-musica-en-el-cerebro-cuando-el-cerebro-escucha/ | https://hipertextual.com/2020/02/asi-distingue-cerebro-musica-y-habla

(5) Song Writing Prompts, https://robinpiree.com/blog/songwriting-prompts | https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/science-choice/201906/6-ways-music-affects-your-emotions

(6) Happy hormones, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/happy-hormones-dopamine-serotnin-endorphins-natural

(7) How Music affects us emotionally, https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/science-of-choice/202309/how-music-affects-us-emotionally

(8) Happy songs, https://theconversation.com/happy-songs-these-are-the-musical-elements-that-make-us-feel-good-201342

(9) How does music help us feel, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-musical-self/202103/how-does-music-help-us-feel

(10)The 8 components of musical emotion, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/science-choice/202106/the-8-components-musical-emotion

[charles-breaks-beakers]

HETEROSEXUAL CIS-PEOPLE LOOK HERE

Snaps my fingers at you as you scroll past this post

Look at me. Listen.

I'm not the best at serious posts, but that article up there reminded me of how important it is that people like you stand up for us. So hold on while I try to get this out of my mushy end-of-work-day brain.

We could fight this fight ourselves for decades trying to reach the equal laws, gender affirming trans healthcare that doesn't have a 2-5+ soul-eating years of waiting time, medical care with equal knowledge of lgbtqia+ bodies, and, what is often forgotten, inclusion in the little everyday areas of life like our way of speaking or things being set up or designed with the existence of queer people in mind.

But you joining in could get us there so much faster.

The power you have as a hetero cis person is that you set the standard for what is seen as the average way of treating us among other hetero cis people. You have been given the power of deciding what's "normal" and I'm begging you to use it.

Richard Green is a great example of to what extent your actions can help our situation, and smaller ways of support still add up to a great impact on society, and could make the days of the queer people you interact with.

Educate yourself before you speak up, but don't be silent.

[daily-spooky]

[ashfdhfgdsfk]

they should invent a way to hug your online friends who live so so far away

[inside-my-gay-mind]

[iguessthisisanewobsession]

The ring was small and silver with a single emerald embedded in the metal.

It wasn’t something flashy, it probably cost less than the smallest gem from his vault all together.

But it was perfect.

Which made it so heartbreaking to turn it down.

“Dick.. you know me so well.. I wish I could take this ring, i really do.”

Dick was still on one knee in the little apartment, but he put the small box down on the floor as he asked.

“Then what’s stopping you?”

Danny let out a bitter chuckle,

“The US government.”

[stuckinapril]

megan thee stallion is the perfect example of unbothered energy. nicki has repeatedly vagueposted about her, gone on unhinged rants about her, gone so far as to mention her dead mother (such a classless low blow), threatened her on live, and has now released the tackiest diss track in history. and what has megan done? literally nothing. she straight up ignored her, aside from that one ig story where she posted herself laughing (which was perfect btw). she is the epitome of “i will not dignify that w a response.” i love it.

[alliets-world]

Would you like to have a trans princess like me??

[garbagebinne]

[kimtaegis]

LILACS BY THE SEA a music collection curated for @cordiallyfuturedwight Lilacs (Kayla) Playlist • Sea (Seokjin) Playlist song notes

cr. mahoneysuga, rawpixel, bts-trans, Diana Zviedrienė

[areyoualexander]

my tumblr isn't even a blog, it's just a hideous amalgamation of all my hyperfixations from the last decade.

[finch-kid]

literally i cannot stress the importance of taking your ear health seriously. like it scares me how many people just don't think about this. since i don't see this discussed enough on music tumblr, here are my tips...

If you listen to music/audio 8 hours a day, it's recommended to listen at a maximum of 85 decibels (you can use a sound meter and some googling to measure your headphone's sound level).

If you want a more practical measurement, the maximum recommended volume with headphones you should be listening at 60% of your devices volume.

If you can take your headphones off and still hear your music, your music is too loud!

Headphones that block out external noise are better than normal headphones since less external noise means it's easier to hear your music at a lower volume. earbuds and airpods should be avoided at all costs.

If you're going to a loud event like a concert, bring earplugs.

At the end of the day, just be mindful and considerate of your listening habits.

if you don't wanna read or want more info, here's a 6 minute video.

[daily-spooky]

[shadiafamily]

We die a hundred times in one day. (If you have a heart please Donate and reblog)

This is unhealthy water that causes diseases and epidemics. We use it daily directly from the ground, not recycled. This water has caused us many diseases. Help us to be able to buy clean water. Help us obtain our most basic rights.

My brother does hard work , he is 17 years old , He was prevented from education due to war and genocide, and deprived of his right to education. His dreams were destroyed.

Please donte and reblog , your donation make a lot for us please my friend help us🚨🚨🚨

This campaign is vetted by @moayesh @wellwaterhysteria

[oldfuturisticrebel]

[lightscamerabitchsmiile]

karma is HER boyfriend🩵