7 SURPRISING BENEFITS OF LISTENING TO MUSIC.

"I hate music!" said no one ever! It is safe to say that we all love music. Regardless of the genre, our music can help us be more upbeat and happy or can be healing in tough times but did you know that music has some real, tangible and scientific benefits to offer you? Well here are seven benefits of listening to music.

1. Music makes you happy.
   We all know how scarce happiness is these days. Music however can compensate. Listening to music releases dopamine which is the body's feel good drug. It is the same chemical which is released in your brain when you are getting an orgasm. Wonderful! Dopamine is released in larger quantities when you play your list on shuffle and a song you like comes on unexpectedly. Its like a drug high! I guess we are all junkies, music junkies.
2. Music reduces stress and depression.
   Listening to music forces the brain to reduce the depression chemical which is called cortisol and this cortisol has been found to bring about 60% of the ailments we suffer in our lives. Music has also been scientifically proven to reduce physical pain!
3. Music helps you sleep better.
   In addition to reducing the stress hormone, listening to soft or classical music can help stressed people sleep better. I had a roommate who had an insomnia problem so he downloaded a classical collection and failed to wake up early enough for work the next day. He was stuck in a beautiful deep sleep. So intead of popping sleeping pills, try a little music.
4. Music helps you eat better
   Slow soothing music helps you to eat more slowly since it reduces stress and increases the enjoyment hormone dopamine in the brain and this helps you to get fuller on less food hence reducing your calorie intake. You also enjoy the experience more. This is why a date is more enjoyable with music, it helps you enjoy your partner more. 😊
5. Music helps you to memorise better.
   Researchers found that people who were trying to learn Japanese memorised the characters quicker when they listened to their favourite positive music compared to those that did not listen to music. So next time, consider playing some J. Cole while reading for your next test. 😁
6. Music can help elavate your mood while driving
   Do you hate road rage? Try playing some of your favourite songs in the car. It will make you happier and more forgiving. It may stop you from calling that nincompoomp trying to get ahead of you in line a d***! 🙊
7. Music helps with your cognitive skills.
   Go a step further and play a music instrument. Research shows that those who play music enjoy more benefits compared to those who only enjoy it. Playing an instrument can help with your hand-eye cordination and other motor skills. Also the neurons that connect the left brain to the right brain are found to be more dense in musicians than non musicians. This means musicians are able to easily connect their creative abilities with their analytical abilities. Basically, being a musician makes you smarter on many fronts.
   Well, that's it for now. Im off to my piano lessons.