Thanks to smartphones, music marketplaces from iTunes and Amazon, and the popularity of apps such as Pandora and Spotify, it seems like everyone’s plugged into their headphones all day, every day – whether in their cubicles at work, at the coffee shop or even just walking down the street. Do you ever wonder how this constant stream of audio and music might impact our brains? Listening to music – essentially, a combination of sounds and rhythms – is one of the most primitive activities of the human race. It’s woven into the fabric of cultures around the world and throughout time. The neurological responses triggered by music in the brain have been well documented. Earlier this year, researchers at McGill University in Montreal confirmed that music increases activity in the nucleus accumbens part of the brain, the same structure that releases dopamine, a neurochemical associated with pleasure and reward. Music also activates the amygdala, which is partially responsible for complex activities such as processing emotions. “When we’re listening to music, the most advanced areas of the brain tie in to the most ancient,” said Valorie Salimpoor, a neuroscientist who was part of the McGill research team, in a TIME article. Listeners get not only a feeling of pleasure from music, but emotional and intellectual stimulation, too. Music may also have the ability to bring people together, thanks to similarities in how the brain processes it. A study published in the European Journal of Neuroscience in May 2013 found that study participants – all who had little or no musical training – exhibited similar, synchronized brain activity patterns when exposed to the same tune (symphonies by composer William Boyce) despite having different personal musical preferences. This suggests that music may have the power to create a shared common experience on a neurological level, no matter what personal biases may be present. What’s more, areas of the brain that aren’t directly involved in processing sounds were also activated, including regions related to movement, attention, planning and memory. This suggests that listening to music may create a larger, more expansive and complex experience than just the experience of listening. It might also explain why we feel a connection to others through music and song, whether it’s around a campfire or at a concert with thousands of strangers. Is there such thing as too much musical stimulation or too much of a good thing, especially now that we essentially have an unlimited supply of tunes in our pockets? That remains to be seen, but being plugged into headphones all the time certainly can have negative consequences. For one, you’re probably less aware of your surroundings, which can be a safety concern. It’s probably not a good idea to walk down the street late at night with your headphones turned up. Secondly, there is something inherently anti-social about wearing headphones or earbuds, particularly in situations (at work, for example) where it might prevent people from engaging in conversation with you. For me, it’s all about striking a balance between tuning in and tuning out. Source
