Eine kleine Nachtmusik

A little night music is never wrong and classics written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is good for the brain. My favorite is Vivaldi and at Northumbria University (UK), a research team performed some experiments on students’ brain functioning when doing tests while they listened to Vivaldi’s Spring concerto. They were answering faster and better than when they listened to the sadder Autumn concerto. The conclusion was that brain activity is improved when listening to pleasant and arousing stimuli.

Various studies show that listening to music can reduce post-operative and chronic pain, especially after surgery. It will never replace painkillers of course but will be a great help in reducing depression, disability, and pain. The reason seems to be that it can help to tune out the pain by increasing the brain’s reward center, thereby alleviating the sensation of pain.

You know how difficult it is to eat slowly, chew your food properly, and really enjoy it. Playing soft music and dimming lights in dining areas has been found to help people enjoy their food more and eat less! This is the main result of a study carried out at Cornell University. On the other hand, places like fast food joints use brighter lights to encourage fast eating and more profit for their business. You can improve the way you experience food by being more intentional in the way you eat, including playing soft music during meals.

There are so many more benefits to listen to classical music, so try it one time.