hey everyone and welcome to top think today we're gonna learn about seven spooky things
music does to your brain now let's begin number one musical goosebumps do you ever feel a jolt of
electricity when a singer nails a high note this weird sensation goes by many names some call it
Frisian others say the chills but most of the time people just call it goosebumps it feels a lot like
a small shock because it actually is when you hear something that takes your breath away your
brain releases several powerful chemicals they increase your heart rate raise your temperature
and make your skin more conductive to electricity so when your nervous system sends out an electric
signal it stimulates tiny muscles at the base of each hair on your skin this is what gives
it that bumpy look most of the time goosebumps aren't a good thing you get them when you're
scared stressed or cold but musical goosebumps come directly from your emotions when something
amazes or moves you your nervous system starts sending out electrical signals your hair stands
on end because you're invested in the music but not everyone can get musical goosebumps a study
from 2016 found that people who get them tend to have more developed auditory and prefrontal
cortexes so if your favorite songs give you the chills you may have a deeper understanding
of music than most people number two activating pleasure system why do we fall in love with music
we've all listened to the same song on repeat we've all drummed or sung along as loud as we
could music makes us feel energetic powerful and inspired but why a study from 2017 found
that your favorite songs activate the same part of the brain as many addictive substances most
drugs stimulate the nucleus accumbens or neck the neck is your brain's main pleasure center so
it controls motivation rewards and reinforcement learning think way back to elementary school when
you got a good grade on a test what's the first thing you did you probably went and told your
parents you knew that they'd be proud of you which told your neck to pump your body full of feel-good
hormones like dopamine turns out your favorite songs do the same thing researchers tested this
by shutting down opioid receptors in the brain this technique normally helps people struggling
with alcoholism here the researchers found after losing these receptors people no longer enjoyed
their favorite songs does that mean music is an addictive substance not quite but some people do
start to crave the way music makes them feel while music may be one of the healthiest addictions it's
important to keep any craving under control number three altering time the right music can change the
way you perceive time think way back to the last time you stood in line or sat on hold you might
remember some forgettable blend of piano and strings or a ukulele laid over tropical bongos
these songs are bland and boring but that's the point this strange genre dates way back to
the early 1900's a composer named Erik sati wrote the first collection of intentionally forgettable
songs he called it furniture music but you probably know it as background or elevator
music sati created songs that no one would notice that people would hear without really listening to
this music will never inspire you or get you on your feet it won't strike a chord or make
you cry background music is designed to simply fill space it's there to prevent the discomfort
of complete silence people claim they like peace and quiet but silence is not something many people
actually enjoy it puts us on edge it creates an eerie vibe that inspires anxiety and fear even
if you're not scared of it silence still feels awkward is that how you want your customers to
feel as they browse through your store sure you groan when the same acoustic riff plays for the
20th time but that music has a subtle yet powerful effect on your brain it balances your mood with
cheerful ensembles some songs make you feel like you're on vacation your attitude shifts becoming
more carefree and optimistic the happier you are the more money you're willing to spend the science
behind this is a little more complicated as we go about our daily lives our brains
are taking in countless new stimuli few places are more perceptually overwhelming than stores
and malls we're constantly absorbing every sight sound and smell we come in contact with each new
sensation makes it much harder to stay focused background music takes advantage of our brains
inability to concentrate it provides a constant stimulus that clouds our judgment in other words
you're more likely to drop a hundred bucks on new shoes because you were thinking about too
many different things but your rationale isn't the only brain function that suffers background music
alters your perception of time while you're standing in line music subtly distracts and
entertains you you unconsciously start to split your attention between the music and how long
you've been waiting since only you're thinking about the wait half as much it seems to go by
faster so the next time someone puts you on hold don't let some mindless melody mess with
your head number four enhancing taste in 2012 researchers found that listening to music while
eating or drinking can enhance the taste in this study participants drank four types of wine while
listening to different genres of music across the board participants enjoyed each wine more when it
was paired with a specific song this study is just one of many examples of something called
cognitive priming cognitive priming is when one stimulus affects the way you respond to
a subsequent stimulus for example if you're shown a picture of a cat you'll identify related words
like pet faster than unrelated words like moon or car the initial picture gets you thinking
about a specific subject so that it's easier to recall information in other words it's easier
to think about cats if you're already thinking about cats cognitive priming works the same way
for your taste buds if you hear a mellow song then drink chamomile tea your drink will seem
more relaxing the music Prime's your brain to feel a specific thing so your food will taste
better when the flavor matches the atmosphere now of course that means the opposite is true too
if you drink your tea with heavy metal blasting in the background well you won't feel nearly as
relaxed number five defusing pain your workout playlist doesn't just entertain your brain hmm
it actually increases your pain tolerance music is the world's most common form of pain relief
but it works a little differently than the rest unlike Tylenol or aspirin music isn't something
you actively take to heal your body it can't reduce inflammation or cure headache instead
it relieves pain by shifting your concentration when you're feeling stress music triggers a
powerful emotional response not only is this a perfect distraction for your brain but feel-good
hormones also counteract mental stress it replaces negativity with motivation leaving
you feeling empowered the stronger you feel the more pain you can tolerate your workout playlist
for example changes the way you handle and react to stress your stomach might be cramping and your
legs might be aching but a good song will help you power through so what about on a grander scale a
2011 study found that listening to music after surgery lessens the amount of pain medication
patients take music was especially effective for patients with high anxiety they were worried
about potential injuries and negative side effects but listening to music unraveled their stress it
helped them relax while taking their minds off their pain number 6 recovering memories music
also has the power to unearth blocked or forgotten memories the unique emotions we attach to certain
songs can remind you of everything from friendship to pain one song might make you nostalgic for your
childhood another could remind you of someone who passed away for people who struggle to make sense
of their memories music is a powerful tool people with Alzheimer's disease one of the most common
neurological disorders use music to rediscover memories that have been lost for years normally
this disease strips you of the many cognitive functions you use every day your thinking and
reasoning skills go out the window you can't store or recall memories many people completely forget
their friends and families because it's so common and damaging hundreds of studies have tried to
help Alzheimer's patients regain their memories few methods have had a more significant impact
than music it brings those forgotten emotions to the surface stimulating their memories and
away nothing else could music isn't a permanent solution but it can offer a bit of relief to
people who've spent years fighting against their own brains number seven rerouting language aphasia
is another common neurological issue that limits your ability to speak some people can formulate
sentences in their heads but they just can't say them out loud others speak fluently but
fail to understand what people are telling them they might respond with something completely
off-topic thinking it made perfect sense this kind of neurological damage can obviously impair
your daily life luckily psychologists discovered an interesting workaround by singing instead of
talking people with language deficiencies have an easier time expressing themselves this technique
is called melodic intonation therapy it changes language from something methodical to something
creative this means you're using a different hemisphere of your brain even if it doesn't
sound that different singing your words reroute signals and avoids the damaged areas thank you
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