OUR BRAIN IS A MELOMANE: How Music Heals Diseases

Photo by Diego Catto on Unsplash

If you think you’re «just listening» to music, your brain would most likely disagree. Music matters so much to it that it’s willing to go to great lengths — even mobilize the body’s resources to heal rather serious illnesses. This is supported by recent studies on the effects of music and dance rhythms on the human brain.

MUSICAL PLACEBO

The Latin word placebo translates as «I shall please». In medicine, it refers to a substance that contains no active ingredients yet still improves a patient’s condition. The person doesn’t realize they’re taking a «dummy» treatment, and the healing effect occurs due to self-suggestion.

This effect works in about 30–40% of patients. It happens like this: the brain of someone who is already convinced of the treatment’s success actively produces endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin. These neurotransmitters relieve pain and improve overall well-being.

Placebo can be used to relieve pain, treat insomnia, headaches, colds, and even rheumatism. Something similar happens when we listen to our favorite music. Of course, calling it a «dummy treatment» wouldn’t feel right — but music can instantly change our mood. And it does so for no apparent reason, out of nowhere.

A study published in Contemporary Sociology shows that the mechanism by which music affects us is similar to the placebo effect.

LISTEN TO MUSIC CONSCIOUSLY!

It’s not about the song itself — its melody, arrangement, or performer. The positive effect comes from expectations, associations, and the listening context. Many people play music on «autopilot», subconsciously hoping to relive a previously felt emotion.

However, psychologists say that if a person makes this choice consciously, they can use a «musical placebo» to manage their emotional state. Different people have different associations and emotional responses to different songs.

It’s highly individual — the same «musical placebo» may be effective for one person and completely ineffective for another. That’s why it’s important to listen not just to any «good music», but to the kind that brings you pleasure.

Psychologists recommend creating a personal playlist based solely on your individual expectations and associations. Some tracks may be meaningful to you, but linked to not-so-happy life events. Such «unpleasant» songs are unlikely to work as a placebo or help you relax and distract yourself from pain.

OUR BRAIN LOVES BEAUTIFUL MUSIC

It’s important to remember that the music you listen to is perceived not only by your ears. The brain experiences pleasure, anxiety, or sadness while listening to musical compositions. Scientific data presented in the journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts shows that specific patterns of brain activity are responsible for the aesthetic perception of music.

It all comes down to pleasure and imagination. Two different areas of the brain are responsible for these functions, and they begin to interact actively when a person listens to music they find beautiful, joyful, and enjoyable.

Moreover, beautiful music often engages a third area — the orbitofrontal cortex, which is linked to reward evaluation. In other words, the aesthetic pleasure our brain rewards us for when listening to music is connected not only to hearing but also to imaginative thinking.

THE «GLOW» OF A HAPPY BRAIN

But if the listener doesn’t perceive the music as distinctly positive, the pleasure and imagination zones tend to quiet down. Instead, other areas become more active — those responsible for basic sound processing and emotions. Among them is the amygdala, which plays a key role in experiencing fear and other intense emotions.

Scientists studied music’s impact on emotional states using functional magnetic resonance imaging, scanning participants’ brains while they listened to Adios Nonino by Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla. They discovered that the brain is quite the refined music lover.

While processing the musical information, it linked together emotions, imagination, and the sensation of pleasure. And when it synthesized a «complete image», it quite literally began to «glow» on the researchers’ monitors.

ANHEDONIA — MUSIC WITHOUT PLEASURE

While the brain responds to music as a whole, the human body reacts exclusively to rhythm. Researchers from Concordia University in Canada revealed that the pleasure derived from music and the urge to move to its beat are not necessarily connected. This conclusion came from studying people with musical anhedonia.

The term «anhedonia» was introduced in 1986 by French psychologist Théodule-Armand Ribot, borrowing it from Greek: ἀν is a negative prefix, and ἡδονή means «pleasure». In this case, it refers to the inability to enjoy music.

Such a person may find pleasure in many things — food, intimacy, seaside walks — but, for some reason, their brain doesn’t form a bond with music. Nevertheless, a brain indifferent to music can still derive enjoyment from rhythm alone. More precisely — from movement to the rhythm. In fact, anhedonic individuals may enjoy rhythmic motion just as much as those who revel in both the music and the beat on the dance floor.

Scientists believe the body’s urge to follow dance rhythms is connected to the motor region of the brain — an entirely different area than the ones involved in processing music.

Dance is a natural physiological response embedded in us by nature. Rhythmic body movements do not directly activate the brain’s reward system in the way musical pleasure does. Yet somehow, they are still capable of triggering that system.

Research on the effects of music and rhythm on the human brain is ongoing. The results are helping scientists develop new and effective methods of music therapy. Some studies show that music therapy can even lead to significant improvements in treating conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.

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