Music and Mental Health

Music can have profound effects on the human psyche. Participating in community music can provide one with a deep sense of connection to one’s self and others. Listening to music can be inspirational, motivational, focus our thought processes, and lift our spirits. It colours our lives in so many uplifting ways.

Music has played a significant role in human evolution. Charles Darwin proposed that music, in particular singing, was the precursor to the development of language in early hominids. Music is often seen as the universal language.

Music can have remarkable effects on the brain and body. When listening to personally chosen music, one can significantly increase levels of serotonin, the neurotransmitter implicated in mood regulation, attention, learning, and memory. Serotonin is often referred to as the happiness hormone. Music listening also increases serum melatonin, the sleep hormone, along with dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with the feelings of reward, pleasure, and motivation. Furthermore, anyone who has participated in communal singing within a choir will recognise the wondrous feeling attained from the production of oxytocin…the neurotransmitter responsible for human bonding and one of the many compounds manufactured in the body during group music making.

All of these musical activities help to reduce stress and anxiety and diminish the fight or flight response, increasing one’s feelings of wellbeing.

What would we do without the deeply enriching presence of music in our lives?