Can Music Heal?
Why did music appear? And more than that, why did it become so popular? It was no doubt the result of a necessity. Although we do not eat it, we do not drink it, we can't breathe it and it can't keep us warm, we need it. We need it the same way we need sculpture, literature or paintings. It's one of those human acts of creation that has become such a natural part of our lives that we cannot imagine a world without it. During the last decades a lot of scientists dedicated their time to discovering the way music interacts with plants, animals, our moods and even with our health. But we still have a long way to go.
The history of the effect music has upon us begins with a story: we all know the story of the nightingale which cured the seek emperor with its beautiful songs. It may continue with a very common thing: since the oldest times mothers use singing to soothe their babies. Have you ever wondered about that? Or is it such a natural thing that you've never asked why? It is partly the mother's voice that soothes the baby, but the babies are usually receptive to other people singing as well. So it's more than the voice that matters.
In the 1970s a study was made by the Colorado College in Denver on the effects music has on the growth and health of plants. The results were quite interesting. The initiators of the study concluded that plants respond to music and even have preferences. Most plants grew larger and healthier when classical music, jazz and Indian music was played and they even grew in the direction of the source of the music. When hard rock or heavy metal was played plants grew up slower and away from the music source. The study proved that the quantity of music is also important: music played for 8 hours a day was not as good as music played only for 3 hours a day. Although there are scientists which contest the thesis of plants' sensibility, there are very few which contest the fact that plants do respond to music. Those who say that plants have no sensibility explain that plants react to different type of music based on vibrations' frequency and not on some preferences.
Animals appreciate music in their own way. Many of our pets show like or dislike for different types of music. A cat usually leaves the room if it does not like the music. Dogs are also sensitive to this art. They even try sometimes to imitate it by howling. While some believe this to be a funny answer, recent studies showed up that dogs are rather annoyed by certain sounds and this is why they howl. Still, there are types of music that animals like and which comforts them. An experiment made in the zoo of the Chicago's Lincoln Park made the animals stay still and listen while a violinist was playing slow music.
Today many scientists advise young mothers to play music for the babies even before their birth. Especially classical music, with its complex structure, it is thought to be of help in the forming of new pathways in the young brains and to improve later spatial analysis. Knowing to play an instrument (like the PRS Guitars) can also improve math and strategy skills. Music can make us sad or happier, it can give us energy or it can calm us. But can it heal us? To respond to this question is to identify that strange connection between our dispositions and the way our bodies function. Until then we can know for sure that music sounds great for our souls.
The history of the effect music has upon us begins with a story: we all know the story of the nightingale which cured the seek emperor with its beautiful songs. It may continue with a very common thing: since the oldest times mothers use singing to soothe their babies. Have you ever wondered about that? Or is it such a natural thing that you've never asked why? It is partly the mother's voice that soothes the baby, but the babies are usually receptive to other people singing as well. So it's more than the voice that matters.
In the 1970s a study was made by the Colorado College in Denver on the effects music has on the growth and health of plants. The results were quite interesting. The initiators of the study concluded that plants respond to music and even have preferences. Most plants grew larger and healthier when classical music, jazz and Indian music was played and they even grew in the direction of the source of the music. When hard rock or heavy metal was played plants grew up slower and away from the music source. The study proved that the quantity of music is also important: music played for 8 hours a day was not as good as music played only for 3 hours a day. Although there are scientists which contest the thesis of plants' sensibility, there are very few which contest the fact that plants do respond to music. Those who say that plants have no sensibility explain that plants react to different type of music based on vibrations' frequency and not on some preferences.
Animals appreciate music in their own way. Many of our pets show like or dislike for different types of music. A cat usually leaves the room if it does not like the music. Dogs are also sensitive to this art. They even try sometimes to imitate it by howling. While some believe this to be a funny answer, recent studies showed up that dogs are rather annoyed by certain sounds and this is why they howl. Still, there are types of music that animals like and which comforts them. An experiment made in the zoo of the Chicago's Lincoln Park made the animals stay still and listen while a violinist was playing slow music.
Today many scientists advise young mothers to play music for the babies even before their birth. Especially classical music, with its complex structure, it is thought to be of help in the forming of new pathways in the young brains and to improve later spatial analysis. Knowing to play an instrument (like the PRS Guitars) can also improve math and strategy skills. Music can make us sad or happier, it can give us energy or it can calm us. But can it heal us? To respond to this question is to identify that strange connection between our dispositions and the way our bodies function. Until then we can know for sure that music sounds great for our souls.
About the Author:
Sounds Great Music is a dedicated long time stockist of these great PRS Guitars instruments, and always have large stocks of carefully made guitars available along with knowledgeable staff to help you choose the guitar you always needed.