Music has become an inevitable part of our lives, our culture. Even if you do not have Spotify, YT music, or Apple Music, and you do not spend every minute of your life with headphones plugged in, you still can not escape music. It is in commercials, in videos, in films - everywhere. Of course, there is plenty of research on it, considering its significant role in modern society.
But if you indeed like listening to music - have you ever thought about doing it right? Not that there is something wrong with your casual listening to music, but do you think there is a way to level up your understanding of music? We think so.
We can use music for different things, and today we want to talk about listening to music.
Why listening to music
As already mentioned, music has been playing a significant role in our lives, meaning that we hear it every day. But why do we listen to it, what for?
Music provokes emotions and feelings. You can listen to it for personal growth, for developing strong emotions, to discover something new in yourself. Or you can use it to forget about the hardships and challenges of the day. Lots of people use music to soak in it, like a hot bath, so all the unpleasant emotions can vanish. Regardless of what happened to you, an argument with the tax inspector, or dentist appointment, you can use music to let the bad emotions go.
That is why there are lots of sites (like TakeTones, Youtube Audio Library, Motion Array, etc.) that allow creators to find and use music in their videos, films, and commercials - because today we can not imagine our everyday routines without music, as it triggers our emotions and forms a deeper connection between creator and viewer.
Background music works for those who want to forget, too. Watching a video without music would be incomplete as you do not feel it 100%. And, of course, remember how many times you have seen applications that offer you tunes to help you fall asleep or calm down - they also use the power of music.
What music can give us?
The short answer is a boost in emotions. But if we want to be more precise, some studies show the tendency of music to evoke powerful emotional responses. We bet you have experienced goosebumps while listening to music at least once in your life. This situation is a perfect example of how music can provoke our feelings.
If you listen to music you like, it helps your brain release dopamine that makes us happier. Also, you can experience calmness or serenity, or, on the other hand, feel more energized. The exact effect heavily depends on which type of music you are listening to and your preferences, as different music genres and even songs within one genre can trigger different emotions.
Even if we feel sad when listening to some tunes, we still enjoy it. It may sound weird because it is difficult to imagine how one can feel joy from suffering, but lots of people feel this way. Sometimes musicians in the orchestra feel joy after playing a funeral march - not because they like the occasion, but because that is how our brains react to melodies.
Music allows us to experience things that we could not have experienced without it. The melodies themselves do not have emotions - they can not smile or cry, but they can let people feel all the emotions, sometimes even at the same time. It is simply incredible, isn’t it?
How to listen to music for well-being?
Since music is crucial for mental health, you should consider it a useful tool to stay sane, especially during probing and challenging times, like 2020. If you want to get the best results on your mind when listening to music, remember to stay focused. Music is cool as it is, even if it is a background for your studying, working, or just chilling, but, when you are focused, you can feel even more enjoyment and serenity from melodies. You may need a few seconds of silence before turning the tune on, just to take a deep breath and prepare to be relaxed.
Listening to music for well-being is somehow similar to meditation. You need to let all the things fo: do not think of your work, shopping list, basketball matches, your pet… Just focus on the melody, listen to it, and to yourself: how are your body and your mind responding to the music? Fly with it until the very last note, appreciate every single second of it.
It really does not matter whether you like classical music, jazz, rap, or hard rock. Everything that makes you calm works just fine. Of course, it is impossible to listen to opera the same way as you listen to death metal, but, if you like these genres, there is no need to change your preferences.
If you do not know yet what type of music makes you feel better, open your heart to different genres, looking for something that will bring joy to you, regardless of what other people think. Just like with looking for a partner, you need to seek tunes that work for you, not for someone else.
Final word
In this article, we did not try to convince you that there is a wrong way to listen to music. There are just some tips you need to bear in mind when you try to benefit from music the most.
Listening to music is great, no matter how you do it. It helps us to stay sane, happy, and calm, lets us find extra energy when we feel low. No matter which music genre is your favorite, we are sure that music in your headphones brings you joy. And, if you want to, you can use tunes for concentration and self-care. Isn’t it great that a limited number of notes can evoke so many emotions in humans?
