Reading time: 4 minutes
Since the beginning of time, music has been a constant presence in the daily lives of people, and it has always been perceived as a universal language that sees no borders between cultures and provides nurture to the soul. However, its benefits are present far beyond the observable. Exactly this has inspired many researchers to explore the influence of musical experience on human functioning, particularly on cognitive
functions.
Musical experience can be distinguished into two separate domains, receptive musical experience and musical practice. The receptive musical experience is focused on the act of receiving and processing
music as a listener, and it has been proven beneficial to cognition in many ways. Interestingly, studies through neuroimaging techniques have discovered that there is no specialized brain center for music, rather music engages many areas throughout the brain, which are involved in other kinds of cognition.
The temporal lobe, which is considered the language center of the brain, has an important role in the appreciation of music. As it spans both sides of the brain, it is interesting to note that the left hemisphere is engaged in the interpretation of language and words, while music and sounds are interpreted in the right hemisphere. Moreover, the emotions that are elicited through the act of listening to music activate the amygdala, therefore the addicting power that music has could be linked to the fact that it increases dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, in the same way that cocaine does.
The wide array of cognitive benefits stemming from listening to music includes enhancement in the encoding, storage, and retrieval of memories, as well as sustained attention and improved productivity in tasks requiring prolonged focus. On the other hand, the emotional benefits are connected to mood regulation, where music influences
the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, which are associated both with pleasure and mood regulation. Stress reduction is also associated with music, as it has been shown that calm and soothing music can lower cortisol levels and promote relaxation.
In contrast, musical practice and training induce structural and functional changes in the brain which affect the visual and auditory areas, but also the frontal regions of the brain which are involved in higher-order cognitive control processes. Individuals who practice music regularly have an obvious advantage to non-musicians in verbal and working memory tasks, but they also show better performance in several other unrelated tasks such as monitoring tasks that require executive control.
Musical training in the crucial stages of development, such as adolescence has profound effects on brain neuroplasticity, which later on proves to be extremely beneficial in enhancing the cognitive reserve and dealing with age-related cognitive decline. The cognitive reserve is defined as the brain’s resilience and ability to maintain function despite aging or potential neurological damage. In fact, studies on older individuals who played the piano from an early age showed improved executive function, memory, and auditory processing abilities, which are often susceptible to decline with aging.
Besides being an integral part of all cultures and a highly appreciated art form, it is safer to say that the musical experience provides significant and everlasting benefits throughout the lifespan, positively impacting both psychological and physical well-being.
By Zoi Pavloska
zoi.pavlovska01@icatt.it
Bibliography
Groome D. (1999). Introduction to Cognitive Psychology. Amer T., Kalender B., Hasher L., Trehub S. E., Wong Y. (2013). Do older professional
musicians have cognitive advantages?
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/music-and-the-brain-2006-09/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3957486/
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00652/full
A.P.E. 
Lascia un commento