by dan falka science journalist based in Toronto. His books include “Shakespeare’s Science” and “In Search of Time.” It was originally pushed underdark.
I’m not sure who first said that writing about music is like dancing about architecture, but they had a point. Music exerts a certain power on us, but it is not a power that can be easily quantified or analyzed. Music moves us, often very deeply, but how does it move us? If anyone is qualified to tackle this age-old question, it’s award-winning neuroscientists. Mr. Daniel J. Levitin is a musician, musician, and author. He has spent his life immersed in the world of music as a scientist, musician, and producer. . (Levitin’s 2006 best-selling book,This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of Human Obsession,” is a thorough exploration of the relationship between music and the brain. )
Levitin, professor emeritus at McGill University and visiting professor at UCLA,I heard there’s a secret code: music as medicine” (the first part of the title is a quote from the Leonard Cohen song “Hallelujah”). His focus is on the myriad ways music can help heal our bodies and minds.
Levitin argues that music can help people cope with trauma. He explains that playing or listening to music can regulate serotonin and dopamine levels in the body. Music also stimulates the brain’s ability to create new neurons and new connections between them, “promoting brain recovery and normalizing stress responses.”
Music can also help treat movement disorders. “Motor and motor pathways in our brains are activated and synchronized by music, and the limbic system, the part of the brain that controls emotions, “signals joy when music occurs,” Levitin said. says.
He lists five specific movement disorders in which patients have been shown to respond to music therapy: stuttering, Tourette syndrome, Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease. Additionally, in other diseases such as ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease), Levitin says more research is needed, but he still finds that music can reduce anxiety and depression and improve life. known to improve quality.
It’s probably no surprise that music can be used to treat depression. Even if you’ve never sought treatment for depression, you’ve probably witnessed the power of music to uplift your mood. Levitin mentioned how music helped music producer Quincy Jones deal with depression, saying, “Music makes me full, makes me strong, makes me popular, makes me independent, and makes me cool. ”, Jones quotes from his autobiography. Similarly, Bruce Springsteen described music as a kind of medicine, something that brings a kind of peace, which he said is “very, very, very hard to come by.” . PBS News Hour.
Music has a positive effect on other diseases as well. Alzheimer’s disease is without a doubt one of the cruelest diseases. Levitin’s account of guitarist Glen Campbell’s battle with illness is heartbreaking. Even after receiving his diagnosis, Campbell continued to tour. “He did not even know what city he was in,” Levitin writes. “And I often couldn’t remember that I had just played a song, so I would play it twice, sometimes three times in a row.”But despite these challenges, Campbell ‘s performance remained rock solid.
Although there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, Levitin showed that music can loosen the disease’s grip, at least temporarily. He describes the case of a man named George who was diagnosed with the disease at the age of 72. After six years, he was unable to walk or communicate other than to say “yes” or “no.” But music was often played in the care home where George lived, and George’s neurologist told Levitin that this made a difference. George said, “When the music came on, I could sing like I was 30 years old again.”
While music may not slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias, it can improve a patient’s quality of life by reducing anxiety and agitation. Levitin cites research by Frank Russo and Adiel Malik of Toronto Metropolitan University. The pair have been working to model the brain’s “relaxation network” and develop treatments to help manage certain symptoms of dementia. Levitin says their research “points the arrow toward musical medicine for relaxation,” emphasizing the value of non-drug treatments.
One of the limitations of the kinds of treatments Russo and Malik have been studying is that there are far fewer therapists than people who need them, making them difficult to scale up. This is where Levitin suggests artificial intelligence can help. AI “can help select music that meets both personal tastes and desired therapeutic and health goals.” Several startups are doing just that. This line of research, he says, “could usher in a new era of personalized music medicine.”
Levitin’s personal relationships with some of the artists give the book a warmth it might otherwise lack. He is a longtime friend of singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, who was hospitalized in 2015 after suffering a brain aneurysm. When Mitchell returned home, Levitin arranged for Mitchell’s nurses to play a CD she had made part-time for years earlier. Starbucks’ Artist’s Choice series customized song setperformed by some of Mitchell’s favorite artists.
Levitin instructed the nurses to start by playing the disc once a day and ask Mitchell when to play it and how often. After playing the CD for Mitchell for the first time, the verdict was given: “A nurse called me later that afternoon and said it was the first time I had seen her smile since she came home.” Mitchell’s condition gradually improved. Ms. Levitin believes music was probably only a factor in her recovery, but suggests it was at least a catalyst.
While Levitin is adamant that music can heal, he also points out some unavoidable truths about the symptoms many musicians suffer from, which seem disproportionate to the general population. Professional musicians are more likely to become addicted to drugs and alcohol and more likely to die, Levitin writes. violent death (or more likely to die from an overdose or liver disease) than non-musicians. Levitin cites a British study that found that 71 percent of musicians suffer from panic attacks or high levels of anxiety, and 69 percent suffer from depression (a rate that is 3% higher than that of the general public). ).
The underlying reasons behind these disparities are not fully understood, and many intersecting factors may be at play. Levitin suggests that one factor could be the high stakes that come with success or failure in the music business. “Their failures tend to be very public,” he writes. “More than in any other profession, a performer’s sense of self and self-worth is tied to their identity and status as a musician.”
Nevertheless, readers are left with the conviction that the pros of listening to and playing music far outweigh the cons. Levitin points to research showing that music relieves pain and strengthens the immune system. Exercising increases your energy levels. That it can make us more empathetic. learn Musical instruments increase attention span, enhance language skills, and improve brain health.
This book explores more than just the healing power of music. Levitin explores a variety of adjacent topics, including the complex relationship between music and memory and how people with disabilities behave. williams syndrome (a genetic disorder characterized by developmental delay and mild intellectual disability, among other distinct features) or autism spectrum disorder React to or make music.
And while the book is based on science, Levitin recognizes the limits of science. Towards the end, he muses philosophically, returning to the enigmatic question of how music can deeply affect us. After all, music is an ambiguous art form, and this ambiguity is part of its magic.
Understanding how music moves us involves science, but it also requires us to embrace something beyond science. This fascinating, thoughtful, and thoroughly researched book explores how much we have learned about the interplay between the world of sound and the world inside our heads, while leaving the magic behind music intact. I’ll show you what I’ve done.
