Music and the Brain
The neurological and overall health benefits of music are amazing. According to the Global Council on Brain Health (GCBH)¹, music appears to “enhance a sense of well-being, reduce stress, facilitate interpersonal connections, modulate the cardiovascular system, improve balance, and boost the immune system,” while “maintaining and improving healthy brain function” and “[enabling] different parts of the brain to operate in sync.” Research suggests that it can help to prevent dementia, enhance learning capacities, restore movement and speech (if one or both have been compromised), treat depression and anxiety, promote neuroplasticity, increase cognitive reserve, and improve executive functions and processing speeds. In their report, Music on Our Minds: The Rich Potential of Music to Promote Brain Health and Mental Well-Being, the authors recommend: “Make music yourself!”
¹ Global Council on Brain Health. (2020). Music on Our Minds: The Rich Potential of Music to Promote Brain Health
and Mental Well-Being. Link to report