As I watched a video of a drum-line, I felt tears accumulate and run down my face. Why was I crying? What triggered this response? It’s just a bunch of people playing the drums, right? Wrong…
Following this emotional response, I was inclined to look further into the cause. It’s been made clear throughout my life and hundreds of years prior that music directly impacts listeners. According to renowned neuroscientist, Kiminobu Sugaya, even people with degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are positively affected by music. But, how? Well, first we must understand the brain.
There are twelve significant components to the brain, all of which work in unison to catapult emotional, mental, and physical responses to music. The frontal lobe is much larger in humans than most living creatures and is responsible for decision making, thinking, and planning. When we listen to music, its functions intensify. The temporal lobe plays a role in processing information from your senses, understanding language, and storing and retrieving memories. Broca’s Area is essential for speech function. According to the National Library of Medicine, “The French physician and anatomist, Pierre Paul Broca, may have discovered the most crucial part when he identified a common region in the brain in two of his speech-impaired patients; this came to be known as the Broca (Broca’s) area.”
Can you imagine not having the ability to analyze and enjoy the music we listen to on a daily basis? I can’t either. While on the prowl for information, I learned about Wernicke’s Area which is a crucial component in the comprehension of written and spoken language. The Occipital Lobe is responsible for processing what we see and is critical to professional musicians. Musicians have the ability to visualize a musical score while listening to music. Imagine an artist attempting to play an instrument without this…impossible!
Although the cerebellum is known for its role in motor activity, Dr. Stefan Evers states in “The Cerebellum in Musicology: a Narrative Review”:
This narrative review shows that the cerebellum plays a role in music perception and production although only single aspects are known and many others are still unknown. It would be of interest to explore the role of the cerebellum in the global perception of music rather than in single aspects such as rhythm or pitch perception.
Throughout the duration of my nursing career, I noticed that several of the dementia patients I had cared for would remember how to play an instrument and sing along with a song word for word while simultaneously losing the ability to clothe and feed themselves. The cerebellum stores physical memory which ultimately lingers in neurodegenerative diseases. The brain is truly miraculous.
I’m sure you’ve heard the statement, “Music is my medicine.” Did you know the Nucleus Accumbens is the portion of the brain that seeks pleasure? It releases dopamine. It’s safe to say that music can actually be your medicine. Unfortunately, this part of the brain is also responsible for addiction. Learn more by clicking below.
The Amygdala is what primarily caught my attention when I cried while listening to the drum-line. It processes and triggers emotions. Can you recall times when the little hairs stood up on your arms while listening to one of your favorite songs? If your answer is yes, then your amygdala was prompted.
Have you ever “played a song by heart”? Your ability to recover this memory is due to the Hippocampus.
The Hypothalamus is crucial regarding homeostasis. Homeostasis is the scientific term for the body’s stable state. Although it is small, it has a vital function within the human body. The hypothalamus is controls our hormones, emotions, temperature, sleep, sex drive, thirst, and more! When we listen to music that decreases our heart rate and blood pressure, we have stimulated the hypothalamus.
According to Manhattan Prep, the Corpus Callosum is larger in musicians than non-musicians. This component within the brain connects the right and left hemisphere. Since it’s larger in musicians, this may suggest that musicians are better at communicating. This is also the region of the brain where early musical training makes a difference. Picture a pianist reading sheet music while playing. This is directly related to the corpus callosum’s function.
The Putamen allows us to keep a beat in our head. It processes rhythm and controls body movement.
Now that we have a better understanding of the different areas of the brain that affect our musical abilities, it is safe to say that it’s more than just releasing a single, performing on stage, and marketing on social media. Our gifts go way deeper.