Highly emotional music causes networks in the brain to release dopamine. This brain chemical plays a role in feelings of pleasure. It also turns on the brain's motor network that makes us want to move. That physical response to a strong beat can be used to help people with brain-related disorders, research has shown. It aids their ability to time their body's movements, which can help them with speech issues or trouble moving around.
Olivia Brancatisano, a researcher at Bond University in Robina, Australia, studies music and aging. She found that music can offer a number of benefits, from movement and emotion to communication and thinking. That led her to find music-based therapies (治疗) that might aid people who struggle in these areas.
Older people who have dementia (痴呆) may struggle to remember things. But they did better on mental (精神
) tasks while listening to music they knew and enjoyed. The selected music had to be highly emotional and personal, Brancatisano notes, Listening brought back memories and improved their attention. Since then, she has developed the Music Mind and Movement program for people with dementia.
Music helps young people, too. International students in Australia took part in a recent study at the University of Queensland in St, Lucia. Students may often feel lonely while far from home. Those in the Tuned In program, however, learned to better manage their anxiety using music. They also got better at identifying their emotions. That helped them take action when they were struggling.
The benefits of music seem to cover people of all ages. "We use it to meet basic human needs and to improve our emotional states," says Brancatisano, "Now, more than ever, we have the ability to engage in music in a variety of ways. We can use it as a tool in everyday life to energize and comfort us."
