Music: Opening the Highway to Our Brain -by Anne Therese Macdonald
During a long coffee shop conversation with my friend, Laurel, we eventually got onto the subject of rock concerts we’ve attended and the great musicians we’ve seen and heard, from the Rolling Stones to Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, from Paul Simon to U2. Why? Where does that overall sense of pleasure and security come from, whether we attend a Van Morrison concert, a Mozart symphony performance, or the Christmas Tuba extravaganza on Oak Street?
For some it is that sense of community among like-minded fans that fosters a sense of well-being. Life might feel clearer, cleaner, and more hopeful when we’re all together. To Laurel, however, attending a great rock concert and listening to great music is “like opening a highway to my brain.”
Laurel is right. The answer to that feeling of euphoria and music is in our brains. There are neurological reasons for that sense of pleasure. When music hits your ears, the sound waves translate into nerve impulses that travel to several areas of the brain, including those that release dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays a role in pleasure. It doesn’t even matter what type of music you listen to, be it Mozart or Metallica. As we age, those impulses become even more important.
Neurological research shows that making and participating in art and music improves cognitive functions by producing both new neural pathways and thicker, stronger dendrites, enhancing our cognitive reserve. This causes the brain to continue to reshape, adapt, and restructure. So, while our brains inevitably age, creative abilities do not necessarily deteriorate. According to Bruce Miller, MD, a behavioral neurologist, the aging brain responds well to art and music by allowing the brain’s two hemispheres to work more in tandem. This response crystallizes the intelligence gained from the years of accumulated knowledge, wisdom, and life experiences, which through use cultivates the aging, creative brain.
Researchers are exploring creative expression and engagement in artistic pursuits like singing, writing, painting, storytelling, and dancing to improve physical and mental health as we age. For example, in a study of older adults taking group keyboard lessons, researchers measured levels of human growth hormone (hGH), anxiety, depression, and loneliness before the lessons and after each semester. Participants showed a dramatic increase in hGH levels (implicated in such aging phenomena as osteoporosis, energy levels, wrinkling, sexual function, muscle mass, and aches and pains) and a decrease in anxiety, depression, and perception.
So, the next time you consider attending a concert but think that the ticket-buying is too difficult to navigate, or the drive too long, or the crowds too large, remember that by attending, you are actually opening a highway to your brain. Listening to music, dancing to music, viewing visual art, and even telling stories all play a meaningful role in our cognitive and overall well-being as our brains age.
Anne MacDonald is an author of essays and short stories She and her husband live in Fort Collins where they raised their two kids, received their graduate degrees, and generally enjoy the Colorado life of hiking, biking, and brewing.
