The Effects of Music on the Brain & Society

It all begins with sound waves entering the ear, striking the eardrum, and causing vibrations that are converted into electric signals. These signals travel by sensory nerves to the brain-stem, the brain’s message relay station for auditory information. Then they disperse to activate auditory (hearing) cortices and many other parts of the brain.

It is noteworthy that different parts of the brain are activated, depending on the type of music—for example, melodic versus dissonant—and whether we are listening, playing, learning, or composing music (see related box).

Music can alter brain structure and function, both after immediate and repeated exposure, according to Silbersweig. For example, musical training over time has been shown to increase the connectivity of certain brain regions. “If you play an instrument like the violin,” he said in a recent Zoom interview, “the areas in your brain that are associated with the frequencies of the violin are more stimulated and the synaptic connections are richer.” David Silbersweig, MD, chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), BWH psychiatry colleague Samata Sharma, MD. Read More

We may not realize it when listening to a favorite tune, but music activates many different parts of the brain, according to Harvard Medical School neurologist and psychiatrist David Silbersweig, MD. These include:

• The temporal lobe, including specific temporal gyri (bulges on the side of the brain’s wrinkled surface) that help process tone and pitch.

• The cerebellum, which helps process and regulate rhythm, timing, and physical movement.

• The amygdala and hippocampus, which play a role in emotions and memories.

• Various parts of the brain’s reward system.

“All of these areas,”Silbersweig noted in a 2018 paper, “must work in concert to integrate the various layers of sound across space and time for us to perceive a series of sounds as a musical composition.”

The Amygdala Hijack

Historically the amygdala was considered to be involved primarily in fear and other emotions related to unpleasant stimuli, it is now known to be involved in positive emotions elicited by appetitive (rewarding) stimuli.

The amygdala plays a prominent role in mediating many aspects of emotional learning and behavior. There exist a vast array of human emotions, ranging from joy to sadness, disgust to excitement, and regret to satisfaction. Most emotions possess a valence (positive or negative) and an intensity (low to high) that reflects emotional arousal.

Studies of the neural basis of emotion in animal models, including those focusing on the amygdala, typically have utilized physiological (e.g., autonomic) or behavioral (e.g., approach or defense) measures that likely reflect the valence and intensity of an emotional experience.

These changes in brain circuitry and connectivity suggest opportunities to activate certain regions to promote healing, Silbersweig says. He and Haddad look forward to using cutting-edge brain research to build on what’s already known about the therapeutic power of music for patients with dementia, depression, and other neurological conditions. The pair note, for instance, that playing a march or other rhythmic piece for people with Parkinson’s disease stimulates the brain circuits that get them physically moving. Similarly, people with short-term memory loss from Alzheimer’s disease often recognize familiar songs like “Happy Birthday” because “that memory’s encoded into their brain’s long-term memory,” Haddad notes.

Haddad witnessed this response during high school and college while performing for patients in hospitals and assisted living facilities. “You have these patients who are essentially sedated, lying down, eyes closed, not able to communicate,” she recalls. “And when you play a song that they recognize from their youth, their eyes light up. They’re sitting up, and they’re smiling. It’s just incredible.”

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Personally, I grew up as a young boy listening to my father & mothers music (mostly big band and light classical music). As a teenager (70's) I was listening to most everything except country music.

We had rock & roll, hard rock, soul, jazz, blues, R&B, Reggae, and more. And although many think this is laughable, I can't help but notice how much society has changed, along with the music, over the years.

Each Genre brought out different emotions in people and subsequently drew a particular group of people to them. But what happens when there is really no diversity in music?

And what happens when the stiles of music of the day are aggressive (lyrically & musically)?

Now I know and understand that each generation has had it's own musical style associated with it, each being different from another primarily because they wanted to be original and didn't want to be like their parents (a whole other onion), but what is being called "music" out there today doesn't even remotely resemble the music of past generations.

We had Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley & Al Green. We had bands like Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, Queen, The Who, David Bowie, and 100 more, each with their own signature style, sound & something to say.

The point is that whatever can be used to heal can be used to destroy. Look at society today and the music that the past few generations gravitate to. Angry hateful lyrics with not much more than rhythmic beats behind it is the music of today. Bitches, hoes, & woes.

What kinds of responses are we seeing from the last few generations? How has society changed over the decades? Is society more tightly knit? Are people more caring? More sensitive? Dar I ask, more loving, forgiving and tolerant?

Quite the Contrary!