“Outdated,” “meaningless,” and “bland” are the three words my friend used when I asked him to describe his thoughts on classical music. I grew up listening to Debussy, Mozart, and Beethoven, but for many people, classical music serves no benefits. Contrary to many beliefs, classical tunes have actually proven to improve mental health and reduce stress. Maybe it’s time to reconsider those playlist choices.
Improves Sleep Quality
A study was done in 2008 to manifest the positive effects classical music has on students who have trouble sleeping. From the 94 students who participated, they were each divided into groups of three (group 1, 2, and 3). Group 1 listened to 45 minutes of classical music (or relaxing music) while Group 2 listened to an audio book and Group 3 was the control group, meaning they had no change in their usual routine before bed. The outcome resulted in an improved sleep quality in Group 1. Essentially, if you are a student suffering from insomnia or trouble falling asleep, try tuning into some relaxing tunes instead of techno or pop before going to bed. You may definitely find some developments.
Increase Intelligence
Listening to classical music actually makes you smarter. Cool, huh? In 1993, studies showed a correlation between listening to classical music and increased IQ levels. The outcome? American capitalism taking advantage, of course. This is spurred the release of products like baby Mozart and CD’s intended for expecting women to listen to on speaker for the sake of the baby’s brain development and health. Aside from this, consider listening to some classical music while studying - it may help retain information!
Emotional Affect
This is an interesting one and I don’t know how most of us feel about this but classical music makes you more emotional. Knowing me, this is probably a key reason to not listen to classical music as my emotional capacity is at an all-time high. But in 2001, there was a study in Southern Methodist University that showed that listening to classical music heightens emotions. This is linked to being more expressive and demonstrative with the things that they said and did.
Surgery Recovery
If you have gone through surgery, you know that the recovery is a major component in the success of the surgery. It is absolutely imperative that you remain relaxed and stress-free. Listening to classical music after surgery can actually “help tune out pain.” Studies have demonstrated that classical music can help reduce the amount of opiates given to patients! Other studies have shown this it can relieve chronic pain. It seems meds may not be the only solution to pain!
Blood Pressure
If you are dealing with high blood pressure or know someone that is, fill them in on this info: classical music can help lower blood pressure as it was studied in the University of San Diego. After 30 minutes of listening, pregnant women also displayed lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Classical music can maybe even help you steer away from those meds with time.
Classical music has been incredibly underrated in the past years as pop, hip-hop, techno, and other genres have emerged in the music industry. However, when it comes to health, maybe it’s worth a try to pop in that old cassette. You may find yourself surprised - the tunes are magical!
Image: Alice Carrier
