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MUSIC TO MY MIND: THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC ON MENTAL HEALTH

Written By: Monika Sharma




As you're reading the article, immerse yourself in The Bottle Project's Spotify Playlists, personally curated by our ambassadors, just for you. Take a listen and send us a message, we would love to hear from you!


(Just in case you were wondering, “Why Do You Only Call Me When Your High”, “Daddy Issues”, and “Are you Bored Yet” are personal favourites.) https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37n6VqsfUGtQvMBwhRK2Mg


You’ve probably heard the phrase “it’s music to my ears”, but what does it mean for something to be “music to our mind”? Whether you’re listening to pop, rock, heavy metal, or dare I say country, music has been proven to give us a creative outlet for navigating and processing our mental health. Slow or meditative tunes such as classical music have been proven to lower the heart rate, blood pressure, and in some cases even levels of stress. (Cherry, 2019) Who would think that something so accessible like music, could give us peace of mind?


When I think of stress, I think of a shadow lurking in the back of my head. It’s the one that gives us strands of grey hair, it furrows our brows and is probably why we lash out from time to time. Stressful moments in our everyday life are hard to control, but music can give us much needed solace. A 2013 study co-conducted by Elaine Horat showed that following a stressor, the participant who listened to music was able to calm down quicker compared to the other participants who had listened to rippling water and the third who had no auditory stimulation. In times of need, music can reach the innermost parts of our souls and give us the stepping stones to better mental health.


Music Therapy can be many things, one of them known as “Hip-Hip” therapy, coined from the genre of rap music. This type of music is known to elicit deep emotional responses and is effective in treating cognitive disorders like depression and anxiety. (Mashable, 2017) In 2014, Cambridge University found a link between music and dopamine levels in our brain. This codependent relationship can be imagined as a ping pong affect - where the music hits parts of our midbrain, eliciting it’s own response and producing a type of neurotransmitter called dopamine. This chemical messenger affects learning, motivation, heart rate, sleep and mood and is better known as getting “goosebumps” when listening to your favourite song. Creating rap music helps with releasing emotions, this can be proven when The National Institute For Deafness And Other Communication Disorders examined rap artists under an MRI machine, and found unique patterns relating to motivation and emotion that were displayed in the brain scan. (Mashable,2017) This suggests that rappers enter an “alternate state of mind” when making music, and this act taps into the creative reserves of our mind. (Bhandari, 2019) As Eminem once said “You better lose yourself in the music, the moment, you own it, you better never let it go.”


Shortly after World War II, musicians would come and play for War veterans that suffered from anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They hoped that playing their instruments would motivate and entertain the soldiers. The music was indeed able to help soothe and appease many of those badly affected by the war. According to research by Lori F. Goulding, making music was initially used for entertainment and recreation, but over time an increase in the clinical application of music was found to be popular within the military. It was suggested that music therapy improved the ability to express and regulate emotions, and is considered an important pathway for communication especially for those who have trouble expressing their emotions in a conventional way. (Kern, 2016) More recently studies were shown to be beneficial towards treating symptoms of mild to moderate depression. Compared to prescribed treatments, music is less invasive, affordable and personal. (Journal of Effective Disorders, 2015)


Personally, I practiced my own form of music therapy when my grandmother had a heart attack in December. The first thing I remember doing when the ambulance left was listening to whatever was playing on my phone. I knew if I did not find some sort of distraction then I would start over thinking sixteen years’ worth of memories with her. When she was in the hospital I spent most of that time writing lyrics and practicing it on my guitar, and although I am still a beginner in the instrument, it helped make a difference. Fast forward to almost a year later, I still feel anxious thinking it will happen again, and the one thing I know that subsides anxiety is music. Whether it's singing, playing, writing or listening, I wholeheartedly believe that the art of music can truly make a difference in helping us cope with our mental health.


No matter what you decide to listen too, play, sing or write, any type of music in our life is a resource there to help us on our journey of unbottling ourselves. Whether you’re a War Veteran suffering from PTSD, anxiety or depression, or maybe a person who is living with a mental health issue, or a 16-year-old like me who needs some help from time to time, then music can be something that has a positive impact in our lives. If you're looking for a place to start, The Bottle Project has prepared some playlists on their Spotify that you may enjoy. Click on the links below to take a listen, and let us know how you like them!



THE BOTTLE PROJECT SPOTIFY PLAYLISTS:

Need your daily dose of serotonin to start the day? Songs by Shawn Mendes, Daniel Caeser, Bazzi, The Weeknd, Llusion (love this one!) Frank Ocean and many more can get the job done. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7JQJmTwb6Tw93tSMj3Foyl


Looking to go back to simpler times? Then songs like “Clarity” by Zedd, “Glad you came” by The wanted, Tik tok by Ke$ha, or Last Friday Night by Katy perry ( Kenny G was #amazing) can take you there.


When you wanna shed a tear, then the playlist “emotional feels” is here. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0NvdqKeU6HLjAIA8WPE72u



Works Cited

The Impact of Music Therapy on Mental Health. (n.d.). Retrieved October 03, 2020, from https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/December-2016/The-Impact-of-Music-Therapy-on-Mental-Health


Cherry, K. (2019, December 10). 10 Surprising Psychological Benefits of Music. Retrieved October 03, 2020, from https://www.verywellmind.com/surprising-psychological-benefits-of-music-4126866

Collingwood, J. (2020, July 29). The Power of Music To Reduce Stress. Retrieved October 03, 2020, from https://psychcentral.com/lib/the-power-of-music-to-reduce-stress/


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