Music characterizes us as much or more than the possibility of speaking and it moves us deeply. For this reason, music and sounds can be used both to get to know each other better and for therapeutic purposes.
We would hardly find a person who would show indifference to his exposure to music . We are musical beings and the reaction we experience to it is basically biological, that’s why we show that sensitivity that we have perceived so many times.
We know that music is useful to relax and concentrate , that it is capable of modifying our physiological rhythms, altering our emotional state, changing our mental attitude and even bringing peace and harmony to our spirit.
MUSIC CHANGES THE BRAIN
The sound has its origin in a vibration and music is usually defined as a group of organized sounds , with a certain rhythmic, melodic and harmonic structure.
Although it is difficult to accept that both sound and music exist only in our brain, it really is, since the sensation of sound is the result of perception. For example, if a guitarist plays the C major chord (notes: C, E G), it doesn’t spread through the air as such.
Physics explains that a vibration induced by the excitation and movement of the corresponding strings of the guitar is generated , which is transferred to the surrounding particles in the air and causes a variation in atmospheric pressure.
This is detected by the auditory system and interpreted in the brain as a sound sensation , which corresponds to the chord played by the guitarist. For this reason, it is also possible to perceive said sound energy through the skin, by interfering with the pressure wave in the body –if we approach some speakers that are reproducing low frequencies, we will physically “feel” their impact–.
Precisely, one of the resources that people with severe hearing problems use to dance consists of holding balloons in their hands to perceive, through them, the sound vibrations propagated through the air.
HOW MUSIC AFFECTS US?
There are two different and simultaneous ways of capturing acoustic energy. On the one hand, there is our auditory organ : a system designed to convert acoustic information into nerve impulses that, through the auditory nerve, and via the thalamus, are conducted to different areas of the brain for subsequent decoding and interpretation.
This perception causes a biochemical response that is modulated by our individual characteristics (experience, experiences, environment, culture). Neural connections are activated, neurotransmitters are generated, certain glands are acted upon that affect the production of hormones…
All this has its impact on our physiological constants , our mood and our cognitive abilities. On the other hand, we must consider the effects of acoustic energy when it hits our body.
In fact, it is easy to explain in global terms the influence of sounds and music on the human being as an interaction of energies : acoustics and our own, as energetic beings that we are. When there is an interaction of energies, there is always a positive, negative or neutral response. In the same way that a scalpel in the hands of a doctor can save lives and in the hands of a psychopath it can suppress them, sound and music are mere instruments that must be understood and used so that their effects are as desired .
It is known that physical vibrations, in the areas below and above the audible, have been used in war conflicts through sophisticated designs of sonic weapons . But, also –in the ultrasonic band– as effective methods of medical diagnosis (ultrasound) or clinical intervention (dissolution of kidney stones, treatment of tumors).
MUSIC GENERATES PLEASURE
Sound and music have had a great influence on our well -being since ancient times. In addition, given its ability to evoke memories, it makes us relive situations and emotions that we still have in some remote place in our brain , in fact, in scattered areas that the intelligent neural network associates, locates and recovers to make them synchronously aware.
The great power of music, apart from overcoming barriers between cultures, is its great influence on certain brain areas that we share with other species and that respond to basic survival needs. Music generates pleasure , which is why in some countries it is prohibited on the grounds of religious reasons.
