Two key focuses of my blog are Art and General Education. Academics generate a unique pressure for students. As such it’s important to understand how to decompress and detach from those pressures. Music is one avenue for that. The following guest post is entitled, 3 Reasons Students Suffering from Academic Pressure Should Listen to Music.
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The psychology of music aims to understand how songs affect the human brain. It’s undeniable that music impacts listeners’ emotions and can prompt physiological responses like increased heartbeat and blood pressure. These phenomena urged scientists and psychologists to dig deep, and their discoveries are worth every student’s attention.
Most of the experiences linked to music are positive due to its ability to induce dopamine, which is the neurotransmitter linked with reward. This would explain why you turn to music when you’re happy or in need of some stress reliever. A part of you already knows that it’s beneficial to your health. Still, the more you understand why, the better you’ll utilize it in alleviating the academic pressure on your shoulders.
Regulates Mood
There are so many ways to ‘escape’ stressful situations, but none as accessible and cheap as music. Research shows that music regulates emotions, which may help you cope when you’re overwhelmed by the amount of study material on your desk.
Specific melodies and beats can also help disengage from events like deaths and breakups, and some promote focus when studying for an exam. Above all, music can help you embrace difficult experiences to articulate to others, giving you the mental and emotional space to process them.
The same applies even if you’re the one creating the music. The benefits amplify, though, because playing an instrument comes with its own set of advantages to one’s cognitive abilities. You’ll realize this if you sign up for violin lessons as an extra-curricular activity. Different musical scores invoke different experiences, but all of them work to regulate your mood.
Improves Your Memory
Stress makes it difficult for the brain to process new information, more so to store it in the hippocampus, which is responsible for long-term memory. For the brain to work more efficiently, it has to enter a state of calm. This is where music proves essential.
Scientists discovered that music aids in putting people in a state of meditation. The subsequent relaxation you enjoy enables your brain to resume its proper functions. This is the science behind video game songs, which is among the top recommended music for those who intend to be more productive in their tasks. These songs were designed to aid your focus or put you in a trance-like state. Because you’re more attuned to the sound than to your stressors, you’ll be able to absorb all your review materials and possibly ace tomorrow’s exam.
Boosts Cognitive Performance
The benefits of music on cognitive performance can vary depending on your personality type. Some find listening to music while studying or writing an essay distracting, while others consider it an essential part of their routine. Researches argue that the songs that boost cognitive performance are those that are less stimulative and more sedative.
Using video game music again as an example, you’ll notice that lyrics do not punctuate them because the aim is to let the gamers focus on completing tasks, which engages different cognitive faculties. Lyrics may demand the use of the same cognitive faculties and lead to distraction.
When you’re selecting music to help you study, try the classics. Beethoven, Mozart, and Chopin could be the key to increase your productivity.
Take Advantage of Music
Academic pressure can have many detrimental effects on your health. Learning how to cope through music, whether by listening to it or creating it when you play an instrument, is an excellent means for you to ensure that you stay on top of your game at school.
