It’s been said that music is what feelings sound like. No matter who you are, where you’re from, where you’re going, or what you’re doing — the musical experience is universal. Have you ever listened to a song that immediately made you tear up? Perhaps you’ve shouted into an imaginary microphone while an invisible audience cheered you on. Maybe you’ve heard a song that suddenly had you shoot up out of your seat to dance? Or perhaps you’ve found one that made you feel young again, but when the dancing started did your body lag or ache to remind you just how substantially older you’ve gotten. Whatever the case may be, our lives are full of the sound of music: every instrumental note and lyric touches us in one way or another as we all share and have this experience in common. If asked to tell a friend about your favorite bands, singers, or genres, most of you could reply, in the blink of an eye, with a list of the artists you love. Music can help us express emotions that are hard to put into words, especially in young children. Anytime you’re engaged in an activity as creative as the art of music making, you’re present to that moment. It is such presence, whether we are creating or listening, that allows us to connect with our emotions and express them. Music can also be a constructive way to express your individuality. In tandem with emotion, artistic individuality seems to be a key element that is communicated in a musical experience. Music has the power to soothe, inspire, energize, and uplift. Research shows it can also help manage pain in people who are living with chronic pain. Music therapy for pain management is offered by many pain centers and cancer centers, and helps many people find solace and relief. 

A study conducted by Dr. Sandra L. Curtis, Professor in the Music Therapy Program at Concordia University's Creative Arts Therapies, sought to examine the effects of music on terminally ill patients' perceived degree of pain relief, physical comfort, relaxation, and contentment. Dr. Curtis’s subjects were white, English- and French-speaking terminally ill patients; four males and five females participated in the study. The four dependent variables were self-recorded by the subjects on a modified Scott-Huskisson graphic rating scale under three conditions of no intervention, background sound, and music. This study was able to illustrate that music can elicit both physiological and psychological responses. These physiological responses-changes in respiration rate, cardiovascular activities, and galvanic skin response-were found to be influenced by musical styles and elements as well as by the listener’s preference and past experience. Results of a Friedman Two-Way Analysis of Variance indicated that, in all four cases, no significant difference separated the mean scores under the three conditions. The difference in contentment scores, however, approached significance (p < .069). Graphic analysis of individual responses indicated definite noteworthy trends that pointed to background music being beneficial for masking environmental sounds. An analysis of individual response to the study strongly pointed to the efficacy of music as an intervention tool with the terminally ill. 

While music can do wonders for the heart, help us stay fit, and, as shown above, act as a painkiller, the musical experience is not always a good thing: it can have deleterious effects on our health, too. Depending on what you’re listening to, music can change the way you feel and act. This can come in many forms: incredibly sad songs, songs that trigger traumatizing memories, or songs that elicit violence. An example of the latter lies in a study conducted by Craig A. Anderson and Nicholas L. Carnagey of the Iowa State University. They reported that music can incite aggressive thoughts and feelings. During five experiments with 75 female and 70 male college students, those who heard a violent song were shown to feel more hostile than those who heard a nonviolent song, from the same artist and style. The study showed that violent songs led to more aggressive thoughts in three different measures: More aggressive interpretations when looking at ambiguous words, an increased speed with which people read aggressive compared to non-aggressive words and a greater proportion of people completing aggressive words when filling in blanks on forms given to them during the study. 

Music has a profound effect on all of us, for better or for worse. Daniel Levitin, professor of psychology and music at McGill University, reported that music triggers the hormones oxytocin and serotonin, responsible for bonding, trust and intimacy. In that right, it seems to actually be a part of us. But we know that music has not just a positive side with benefits to bonding, but also negative ones. We should harness the power of music positively and appreciate it whenever and however we can. 

References:

Jr, ByDennis Thompson, Michele Shapiro, Brian P. Dunleavy, Don Rauf, and Lindsey Konkel. “Music Therapy for Pain Management - Pain Management Center - Everyday Health.” EverydayHealth.com. 

Sandra L. Curtis, The Effect of Music on Pain Relief and Relaxation of the Terminally Ill, Journal of Music Therapy, Volume 23, Issue 1, Spring 1986, Pages 10–24 

Anderson, C. A., Carnagey, N. L., & Eubanks, J. (2003). Exposure to violent media: The effects of songs with violent lyrics on aggressive thoughts and feelings. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(5), 960–971 

“Major Health Benefits of Music Uncovered.” Newsroom, March 28, 2013. https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/major-health-benefits-music-uncovered-225589.