How Music Affects Human Beings Emotionally, Mentally and Physically

Abstract

Music and its enjoyment are a huge part of the human experience. As people, music can reach us in unique ways that no other medium of entertainment can. All music is made to draw out an emotion from its listener. Whether it is a beautifully and expertly crafted sonata, or a string of notes and sounds that someone threw together on GarageBand in five minutes, any composition will bring out something from the wide spectrum of human emotions. Good, bad, or even neutral, music is deeply tied to our feelings. We can use this innate quality that music has to our advantage. If someone is feeling a certain way, or wants to feel a certain way, often they will press play on a song that they know draws out that desired emotion from within them. This emotional aspect of music is no secret to most people. What is often overlooked by the general populace is how music can positively and negatively affect the other crucial aspects of us as humans: our minds and bodies.

For some, it may be hard to detach the idea of human emotions from the human mind. However, they most definitely should be classified as two different entities. The two walk hand-in-hand, but they are not one in the same. While the mind can affect the emotions, and the emotions can affect the mind, they are ultimately acting independently of one another. The human mind is something that can be controlled, something that is mostly used consciously. Emotions are involuntary. We can use our minds to keep our emotions in order, but we cannot actually make ourselves feel any different once we have perceived something a certain way. All this is to say, music can reach the human mind in a different way than it reaches the emotions. It interacts directly with the thoughts of the listener. Music can be a great tool in assisting with someone who struggles with maintaining their mental health. It can be inspiring, but it can just as much be disheartening. As music’s effects on the mind intensify, it becomes easier to see how it can play a role in one’s physical status as well.

Music has a variety of effects on the human body. It is a stress-reliever, and thus can alleviate the physical symptoms of stress. It has therapeutic properties and is even being used as a therapy tool in its own therapeutic practice. It may even be able to improve physical performance for athletes and people in that vein. All these things listed show that music can even make physical changes for us as humans. The medium is something that is so important to us as humans, spanning so many cultures and genres. It cannot be understated how massively its effects have been felt, both literally and figuratively.

Year Manuscript Completed

Fall 2024

Senior Project Advisor

George Barton

Degree Awarded

Bachelor of Integrated Studies Degree

Field of Study

General Studies

Document Type

Thesis

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