We are always interested in finding out new ways that music can affect the brain. We recently stumbled upon a great blog post that identified 6 perculiar ways that music can affect the brain:
1. Happy / sad music can affect how we perceive neutral faces - A recent study has found that after listening to a short excerpt of music, participants were more likely to interpret a neutral facial expression as happy or sad to match the "tone" of the music they heard.
2. Ambient sounds can increase creativity - It has been found that a moderate noise level can act as a sweet spot for creativity as it increases processing difficulty and promotes abstract processing which can lead to higher creativity.
3. Music can actually distract us from driving - A recent study has shown that drivers make more mistakes and drove more aggresively when listening to their own choice of music.
4. Learning an instrument can significantly improve motor & reasoning skills - one study showed that children who had 3 or more years learning an instrument performed better than those that did not.
5. Classical music can improve visual attention - A study with stroke patients has shown that whilst listening to classical music visual attention improves.
6. Music can help us exercise - Listening to music competes for the brain's attention - overriding signals of fatigue.
Brain, Mind, Music, Music and the brain, The Power of Music,
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