Why classical music is good? Why should I listen to classical music? Is it really worth my time?
Classical music has always been considered a highbrow art form, but today it’s also enjoyed by millions of listeners around the globe. The genre encompasses a wide range of styles from Baroque to contemporary, and it’s often associated with sophistication and elegance.
Classical music is known for its emotional impact, and it’ll leave you feeling uplifted after listening to some of the greatest composers ever. If you want to get into classical music, here are three reasons why you should start now.
Connecting with our emotions
Mental health therapists often recommend finding other people who are going though the same thing you are. This is because having someone else understand what you’re feeling makes it easier to cope with whatever challenges you face. Similarly, listening to sad music can help validate our own feelings of sadness, grief or loneliness. And just like talking about your struggles with others, hearing sad music can make us feel better too.
The reason why we find certain types of music soothing is because it reminds us of happier times. For example, classical music is known to calm down the brainwaves and slow down the pulse. In addition, some studies show that listening to sad music can actually lower blood pressure and reduce stress levels.
Sad music does the same thing. In fact, classical composers such as Samuel Barber wrote pieces specifically to address melancholy. These compositions validate our own emotions of sadness, grief or loneliness. They remind us that everyone else feels just as miserable as we do. And that makes us feel less alone.
Stress and anxiety relief
Neurologist Dr. Michael Schneck found that listening to classical music helps reduce anxiety. He says that while there are many ways to relax, music is one of the best because it reduces stress hormones like cortisol. In fact, he found that classical music helps lower cortisol levels by up to 50%.
More and more studies are finding similar benefits. For example, a study conducted by researchers at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine found that listening to music could help people with chronic pain manage their symptoms better. They discovered that music increased blood flow by 26%, laughing by 16% and relaxing by 11%.
A study published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice looked at 180 patients and discovered that listening to nature sounds reduced anxiety by decreasing cortisol production. Classical Turkish music proved to be most effective in reducing anxiety.
Indeed, research published in Complemenatry Therapies in Clinical practice studied 180 patients and found listening to natural sounds, such as birds chirping, rain falling or waves crashing, helped reduce anxiety by lowering blood pressure and heart rate, and cortisol levels.
Building social relationships
Music is a powerful tool for building social connections. A study conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Diego found that people who listen to classical music are better able to form friendships and maintain those friendships over time. In fact, the research suggests that listening to classical music helps build stronger bonds between friends, even when the listener doesn’t speak the same language as his or her friend.
The study involved participants who listened to 10 minutes of either Mozart or Vivaldi while taking part in a task designed to simulate real life interaction. Participants were asked to give each other compliments and answer questions about themselves. Afterward, they completed surveys about how much they liked their partner and whether they felt close to them. Those who had listened to classical music reported liking their partners more and feeling closer to them.
This effect was strongest among people who didn’t know each other well prior to the experiment. This finding indicates that classical music could help bridge gaps between strangers, helping them feel more comfortable around each other.
What else that classical music can do? Read about it in our article.
Conclusion
Classical music has been around since ancient times, but only recently have scientists begun to understand its effects on the brain. What they’ve discovered is pretty amazing: Classical music stimulates parts of the brain associated with memory, attention, and creativity. And when you combine that with the fact that listening to classical music makes us feel happier, calmer, and more relaxed, it becomes clear why classical music is such a powerful tool for improving mental well-being.
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