How Music Impacts Us: Emotions, Cognitive Benefits, And More

Music represents one of the greatest pillars of art, being a perfect mix of skill, knowledge, talent, as well as the gift of creativity. Possessing the ability to produce pieces that not only hold subjective value to individuals based on what resonates with them but also have objective effects on the human consciousness, it is not hard to see why music is such a big part of so many people’s lives.

Of course, a topic like this simply cannot be covered extensively in this format, and for that reason, this article will focus on various cognitive effects, measured objectively through different studies and research, to demonstrate in more scientific terms, how music affects us. 

Music and Emotional Regulation

Perhaps one of the most readily observable effects of music is its impact on our emotions. A 2009 study by Zentner, Grandjean, and Scherer, published in Emotion, identified nine distinct emotional states evoked by music: wonder, transcendence, tenderness, nostalgia, peacefulness, power, joyful activation, tension, and sadness.

Being aware of how specific types of music make you feel can help you perform better in certain activities, or deal with things easier. For example, physical performance can be significantly boosted through a track. Whether it is in terms of endurance, reduced perceived exertion, or energy, these effects were observed through research, or more specifically, mainly by a 2012 study by Karageorghis and Priest, published in the International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology.

Outside of this, there are longer-lasting positive emotional responses as well. A 2013 study by Taruffi and Koelsch, published in PLOS ONE, found that listening to sad music, rather counterintuitively, can improve mood and provide consolation. The researchers suggested that this somewhat paradoxical enjoyment of sad music might be due to its ability to provide a safe way to experience and process negative emotions. 

Being aware of how specific types of sounds make us feel is also helpful for various industries trying to maximize the consumer entertainment value. For example, a good film without a good score/soundtrack loses quite a bit of points and a lot of the emotional impact for heavier scenes. The same thing can be seen with video games, which is why we see more and more focus on scores.

The casino industry, for example, often implements lighter tracks to not distract the player, while having their subconscious occupied with music, blending in the sounds with their games. This is the standard model for most of the popular establishments. 

To illustrate, when exploring live blackjack in Australia, players will notice a carefully curated soundscape, which enhances the live dealer experience without interfering with the dealer’s communication. Players can clearly hear the dealer’s crisp instructions as they announce “Cards face up” or “No more bets,” while the background melody maintains a perfect balance between engagement and subtlety.

This audio equilibrium is essential in live blackjack settings, where clear dealer-player interaction forms the foundation of the game. Ultimately, the sophisticated audio design ensures that players can immerse themselves in the strategic depths of blackjack while remaining attuned to crucial dealer cues. This is crucial for intense moments in blackjack, as the player contemplates, for example, splitting aces or taking insurance against the dealer. 

Sometimes, the sounds in the establishments will be aiming to reduce stress, as that is one of the significant effects music can have. In a 2009 study, participants were exposed to a standardized stressor and then listened to relaxing music, the sound of rippling water, or no audio. Those who listened to music showed significantly lower cortisol levels (a stress hormone) compared to the other groups.

Cognitive/Neurological Effects

One of the most intriguing aspects of music’s influence on humans is its ability to engage multiple areas of the brain simultaneously. A 2013 study by Alluri et al., published in the journal NeuroImage, used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to observe brain activity while participants listened to a piece of music. The researchers found that music activated not only the auditory cortex but also regions associated with movement, attention, planning, and memory.

This widespread brain activation might explain why music can have such profound effects on our cognitive abilities. A 2007 study by Schellenberg and Hallam, published in the Journal of Educational Psychology, found that listening to an upbeat Mozart piece improved spatial-temporal reasoning in children, albeit temporarily. While this doesn’t support the oversimplified “Mozart effect” theory, it does suggest that certain types of music can enhance specific cognitive tasks.

Music’s ability to evoke memories is well-known anecdotally, but research has also shed light on this phenomenon. A 2009 study by Janata, published in Cerebral Cortex, found that music serves as a potent trigger for autobiographical memories. The medial prefrontal cortex, a brain region involved in the storage of long-term memories, was particularly active when participants listened to music that evoked personal memories.

On top of this, musical training appears to have benefits that extend to language skills. A 2007 study by Moreno et al., published in Cerebral Cortex, found that children who received music lessons showed enhanced reading and pitch discrimination abilities in speech. Moreover, a 2019 study by Swaminathan and Schellenberg, published in Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, found that adults with musical training performed better on tests of second-language pronunciation accuracy compared to those without musical training.

Conclusion

A topic like this cannot be done justice in a single article, but hopefully, some of the more interesting studies highlighted a specific aspect of how music can affect individuals. With new and interesting ways people start discovering new music, as well as the very nature of the art itself, it is safe to say that the impact will only grow in the future, continuing to be a part of the lives of billions.