Music and Mental Health

After a full day at school, I am sometimes too tired to even think, but I still welcome my violin lesson. Many a time, I have gone to the lesson dreading spending an hour standing upright, only to feel relaxed and lighthearted within minutes of playing my violin. It has an inexplicable effect on both my body and my emotions as I continue playing- it's almost like I feel the stress slipping away with each stroke of the bow.

And there is ample evidence for the therapeutic effects of music. It has been proven that upbeat music can lift spirits and cheer a person, while a slower tempo can relax muscles and calm the mind. Music is known to increase dopamine- the "feel-good" hormone- levels in the body. Stanford researchers even found that music can change brain functioning to the same extent as medication.

Music therapy has now become a recognized medical discipline. It is used to treat disorders ranging from depression and trauma to schizophrenia and high blood pressure. The therapeutic effect of music has, however, been known for thousands of years dating back to ancient medicine. Before the scientific study of music as a therapeutic tool, magical power was attributed to music. For example, the first book of Homer's Iliad describes how a performance of hymns and paeans saved the Greeks from the plague inflicted by the arrows of Apollo. Similarly, paeans sung by the poet Thaletas are credited with getting rid of the plague from the ancient city of Sparta.

Vase showing musical harps being played in ancient Greece

But it had gained acceptance as a valuable medical tool even in ancient times, especially in Classical Greece. Hippocrates is known to have used music as therapy for his mental patients, and Aristotle and Plato extolled the healing virtues of music to the extent that ancient Greek healing centers (Asclepian temples) housed both physicians and musicians to treat the sick. And dating further back, Ancient Egyptians used chanting incantations (a form of musical therapy) for healing the sick. So once again, what ancient physicians learned through experience is now finding evidential support through medical research.

I would strongly recommend everyone to pick up an instrument and start to learn, no matter how old you are. Or at the very least, have a Spotify playlist ready and listen to it whenever and wherever you face anxiety. I know from my own experience that it can have a major impact on your mental health.

Sources:

https://news.stanford.edu/news/2006/may31/brainwave-053106.html
https://www.greece-is.com/music-therapy-in-ancient-greece/

https://pharmaphorum.com/r-d/views-analysis-r-d/medical-music-calm-nerves/

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