Different Types of Music and Their Effects

Music is one of the few activities that engross using the whole brain. Pythagorus, Plato and Aristotle, all were aware of therapeutic powers of music. Einstein himself said that the reason he was so smart is because he played the violin. Many experts also believe that the rhythm or the beat of the music has the calming effect on us although we may not be very aware about it.

In general, responses to music defer with genres. Here is a list of different genres of music and their effects

Classical Music

Classical music is a type of music often involving large orchestras and typically exists without vocal accompaniment. It has the tendency to calm the body and stimulate the mind. It has been found to reduce stress (even for those for whom classical music is not the preferred genre) and enhance specific types of intelligence such as verbal ability and spatial-temporal reasoning. It does not make you more intelligent, but instead provides you with an ideal environment for thinking. A study conducted in Hong Kong on 90 boys between the ages of 6 and 15 found that the boys who learned to play music with their school's string orchestra program scored higher on tests of verbal memory and were able to learn more new words compared to those who did not receive musical training. Listening to classical music also has a very soothing effect on heart beat, and may be helpful in heart diseases.

Indian Classical Music

Indian classical music is both elaborate and expressive, and is based on ragas (melodic modes) and taals (specific rhythmic cycle). Certain ragas are known to activate all the chakras (moods or energy center) of the your body, thus benefiting you in the performance of other creative tasks. Music therapy based on classical ragas is being used or advised these days for the treatment of insomnia, migraine, chronic headache, hypertension, anxiety, etc. A study found that listening to Indian classical music can improve the quality of sleep in individuals with depression. The researchers concluded that the effects were comparable to hypnotic medication in improving quality of sleep in depressed patients.

Country Music

Country music has been linked to depression and suicide. Sociology professor James Gundlach, in his research, found that higher rates of suicide can be attributed to those who listen to country music. He found that the themes in country music foster a suicidal mood among people already at risk of suicide. , Gundlach notes that the suicide link occurred only with older country music, which he believes is not as upbeat as today's.

Rap or Hip Hop Music

Hip Hop music has had many different effects on teens. On one side, it is found to promote negative feelings and on the other, it is so energetic that it makes you want to stand up and dance.

A study done to explore how rap videos influence emotional and physical health suggests that teens who who spend more time watching the sex and violence depicted in the "reel" life of rap music videos (especially "gangsta" rap videos) are more likely to practice these behaviors in real life.

Rock Music

Listening to rock music can give you an adrenaline rush like no other kind of music. If you don't prefer listening to rock, it can make you feel angrier and annoyed as well as increase your heart rate and blood pressure. However, if you enjoy and are used to listening to this type of music then it can help relieve stress without affecting your heart rate or blood pressure.

A study was conducted by scientists on a group of mice to study the effects of rock music. The group of mice to which rock music was played performed progressively worse over the period of time they were exposed to the music and eventually became so disoriented that they became unable to complete the maze at all. When the brains of these mice were dissected, it was found out that their brains have undergone abnormal structural changes. The neurons in their brains (particularly in the hippocampus region which is known to be important in learning and memory formation) have grown out wildly in all directions without connecting to other neurons. Significant increases in messenger RNA, which is involved in memory formation, were also found. This could be the reason why listeners to rock music are more prone to use illegal drugs and engage in extramarital sex. This is also the reason why listeners to heavy metallic rock music are much more likely to commit suicide.

So next time you are listening to a particular genre of music, make sure it's the right one as the effects are profound.