Music is more than just instruments or vocal sounds combined to produce harmony. It’s considered a powerful catalyst that creates an emotional connection. You must know how music affects the brain so you can understand how important it is in the conduct of everyday life.

Here’s how music affects your brain:

Noise level could make or break creativity

Music can help you power through daily tasks, but it will depend on the noise level. If the music is too loud, it’s not good for creative works. As it turns out, the moderate noise level is ideal for creativity.

Moderate noise is also called ambient. It can help get your creative juices pumping. You must know that ambient music encourages abstract processing. In the end, it leads to higher creativity.

The brain responds differently to sad/happy music

Keep in mind that music is one of the most powerful triggers of subjective emotion. After hearing a short piece of music, you are more likely to interpret a neutral expression as sad or happy to complement the tone of the music.

Music choices could predict personality

Interestingly, one study from Rentfrow& Gosling in 2006 revealed that looking at each person’s favorite songs provide a fairly reliable prediction when it comes to their personality traits. The study utilized five personality traits – extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, emotional stability, and conscientiousness.

The breakdown of the different styles that correspond to personality traits include the following:

• Classical: Classical music fans are introverts, creative, and at ease. They also have high self-esteem.
• Blues: Blues music fans are outgoing, gentle, at ease and have high self-esteem.
• Alternative: As the word suggests, alternative music is the substitute for what’s not orthodox. Alternative music fans are creative but not gentle.
• Jazz: Jazz music fans are creative and outgoing. What’s more, they are at ease and have high self-esteem.
• Rap: It is said that rap music fans are outgoing and have high self-esteem.
• Reggae: Reggae music fans have high self-esteem, creative, outgoing, and gentle but not hardworking.
• Country/Western: Country/Western music fans are known to be outgoing and hardworking.
• Rock/heavy metal: You will be surprised that rock/heavy metal fans are gentle and at ease. However, they are not outgoing and have low self-esteem.
• Pop: Pop music fans are gentle but outgoing. They also have high self-esteem, but they are not creative.
• Soul: Soul music fans are outgoing and gentle. They also have high self-esteem, and they are at ease always.

Classical music could enhance visual attention

Kids can benefit from classical music training and exposure. However, classical music is more than this, as it can also improve the visual attention of stroke patients.

Music encourages exercise

It was Leonard Ayres, an American researcher who found out that cyclists pedaled faster while they were listening to music. With this, it’s believed that music encourages exercise because it can drown out the brain’s cries of exhaustion.

Music can encourage exercise, especially when the body wants to stop because of fatigue. Basically, listening to music will get the attention of the brain, thereby helping you to override the signals of fatigue. However, music is mostly beneficial for low and moderate – intensity exercises. It will not be as powerful during high-intensity exercises.