Can Music Therapy Improve Your Mood?

Humans have been enjoying music for millennia, and there is a very good reason why this is so. Music not only has a positive impact on the mind, but it does on the body as well. Indeed, most of us nowadays love to listen to our favorite songs while we are chilling at home or driving in the car. But while some people only listen to music when they are feeling happy, others say that listening to music when they are feeling sad definitely helps to improve their mood at the time.

How Does Music Boost Your Mood?

Music can have a profound effect on the brain, and it can evoke memories in an instant. Most people will say that certain songs they hear take them straight back to an event that occurred in their past. It is thought that this is one of the reasons music has such a positive impact on patients with dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease.

Music has the ability to bring up feelings of happiness, excitement, sadness, and fear, and is why it is added to films by producers who want to evoke specific feelings at certain points of the movie.

We often do this ourselves by playing music that affects our mood. For example, those who are feeling sad because of a personal loss, be it the death of a loved one or the breakup of a relationship, will often play sad songs that they can relate to at that time. Others will choose uplifting music when they are getting ready to go out for a night of socializing or when they are about to hit the gym for a heavy workout. The type of music we choose affects our mood by eliciting feelings of joy or relaxation.

Can Music Affect Mental Health?

With what we know about how music can affect the mood it is no surprise then that music therapy has become such a popular tool in the arsenal for the treatment of mental health problems. In fact, and as touched upon above, music therapy can have a positive impact on the body as well as the brain. A study published in The Lancet in August 2015 reported on the benefits of ‘music as an aid for postoperative recovery in adults. The authors concluded that music could be beneficial in helping patients that have surgery by reducing their pain and anxiety after the procedure.

As well as helping with physical pain, music therapy is a great tool for reducing stress levels, improving the mood, and stimulating the senses, according to those at Maloca sound & wellness, who use various sound therapies to help clients.

Music therapy can include both listening to and making music and is a fantastic tool for provoking positive responses in various situations. Many people find that when they are stressed out, they can relax and take some time to calm down by listening to music. Music is said to lower blood pressure and cortisol, which is our stress hormone.

What are the Benefits of Music Therapy?

We have already discussed how music therapy can improve mood while it can also help with physical pain, but there are many more benefits to using this type of therapy. Whether used with children or adults, music therapy can help in the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, autism spectrum disorder, behavior disorders, substance abuse, trauma, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

It can improve memory, lower blood pressure, reduce muscle tension, and manage pain, but more than that, it can be used to help people self-reflect, improve communication with others, and develop healthy coping skills.