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11 Problems Music Can Solve

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Jessica Hullinger filed under: Lists, music

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Music is a splendid thing. It can cheer you up when you're sad, make you dance like a fool, and
allow you to drown out the world when you need to. But music has its scientific uses, too. The
documentary Alive Inside details how dementia patients react positively when given iPods filled
with their old favorite songs. The music seems to help them "come alive" again. While listening
to familiar songs, many of the documentary's patients can sing along, answer questions about
their past, and even carry on brief conversations with others.
"Music imprints itself on the brain deeper than any other human experience," says neurologist
Oliver Sacks, who appears in the film. "Music evokes emotion, and emotion can bring with it
memory."

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The documentary follows recent studies showing that music can improve the memories of
dementia patients, and even help them develop new memories.
Here, a look at some other things music has been known to "cure":

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1. Low Birth Weight

Babies born too early often require extended stays in the hospital to help them gain weight and
strength. To help facilitate this process, many hospitals turn to music. A team of Canadian
researchers found that playing music to preemies reduced their pain levels and encouraged
better feeding habits, which in turn helped with weight-gain. Hospitals use musical instruments
to mimic the sounds of a mother's heartbeat and womb to lull premature babies to sleep.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/30649/11-problems-music-can-solve[06/04/2015 01:07:32]

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11 Problems Music Can Solve | Mental Floss

Researchers also say that playing calming Mozart to premature infants significantly reduces the
amount of energy they expend, which allows them gain weight.
It "makes you wonder whether neonatal intensive care units should consider music exposure as
standard practice for at-risk infants," says Dr. Nestor Lopez-Duran at child-psych.org.

2. Droopy Plants
If music helps babies grow, can it do the same thing for plants? Dorothy Retallack says yes.
She wrote a book in 1973 called The Sound of Music and Plants, which detailed the effects of
music on plant growth. Retallack played rock music to one group of plants and easy listening
music to another, identical group. At the end of the study, the 'easy listening' plants were
uniform in size, full and green, and were even leaning toward the source of the music. The rock
music plants had grown tall, but they were droopy, with faded leaves, and were leaning away
from the radio.

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3. The Damaging Effects of Brain Damage

Of the 1.5 million Americans who sustain brain damage each year, roughly 90,000 of them will
be left with a long-term movement or speech disability. As treatment, researchers use music to
stimulate the areas of the brain that control these two functions.
When given a rhythm to walk or dance to, people with neurological damage caused by stroke or
Parkinson's disease can "regain a symmetrical stride and a sense of balance." The beats in
music help serve as a footstep cue for the brain.

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Similarly, rhythm and pitch can help patients sing what words they can't say. A study of autistic
children who couldn't speak found that music therapy helped these children articulate words.
Some of these kids said their first words ever as a result of the treatment.
"We are just starting to understand how powerful music can be. We don't know what the limits
are." says Michael De Georgia, director of the Center for Music and Medicine at Case Western
Reserve University's University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland.

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4. Teen Loitering
Public libraries, malls, and train stations already know this: Teenagers typically don't like
classical music. In fact, they dislike it so much that "it sends them scurrying away like frightened
mice," says the LA Times. The theory is that when the brain hears something it dislikes, it
suppresses dopamine, "the pleasure chemical." And as teenagers' moods fall, they go
elsewhere to find something to bring it back up.
So if you want the neighbor kids to get off your lawn, turn up the Tchaikovsky.

5. Hearing Loss
OK, maybe music can't cure hearing loss, but it may help prevent it. A study of 163 adults, 74
of them lifelong musicians, had participants take a series of hearing tests. The lifelong
musicians processed sound better than non-musicians, with the gap widening with age. "A 70year-old musician understood speech in a noisy environment as well as a 50-year-old nonmusician," explains Linda Searling at the Washington Post.

6. A Broken Heart
Not the kind caused by rejection, but the kind caused by a heart attack. Music can help patients
who are recovering from heart attacks and heart surgery by lowering blood pressure, slowing
the heart rate and reducing anxiety. As a preventative, try listening to "joyful" music, or songs
that make you feel good. Research says listening to songs that evoke a sense of joy causes
increased circulation and expanded blood vessels, which encourages good vascular health.

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7. Poor Sport Performance

In 2005, a UK study found that listening to music during sports training can boost athletic
performance by up to 20 percent. That's roughly equal to the boost some athletes get from
illegal performance-enhancing drugs, except music doesn't show up on a drug test. For best
results, try music with a fast tempo during intense training and slower songs during cooldown.

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11 Problems Music Can Solve | Mental Floss

In a 2008 study, researcher Tobias Greitemeyer wanted to study how lyrics impacted
teenagers' attitudes and behavior. To do so, he exposed one group of teens to "socially
conscious" songs with a positive message, like Michael Jackson's "Heal the World." Another
other group listened to songs with a "neutral" message. The researchers then "accidentally"
knocked over a cup of pencils. The group listening to positive songs not only rushed to help
more quickly, but picked up five times as many pencils as the other group.

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A 2009 study comparing two groups of second graders from similar demographics suggests
learning music boosts reading abilities. The only major difference between the two groups was
that one learned music notation, sight-reading and other skills, while the control group did not.
Each group was tested for literacy before and after the school year. The end-of-year scores for
the control group improved only slightly from their beginning of the year scores, while the kids
with a music education scored "significantly higher," especially on vocabulary tests.

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10. Sluggish Alcohol Sales

Are you a wine store owner suffering from an overstock of German vino? Try pumping some
German tunes through your store. A 1999 study showed that doing so boosted German wine
sales, and similarly, playing French music boosted French wine sales. Customers said they
were completely oblivious to what music was being played.

11. Wine Snobbery

Ever purchased a bottle of wine with recommended listening printed on the bottle? Well,
makers of cheap wine may want to consider that tactic. A group of researchers say certain
types of music can "enhance" the way wine tastes by up to 60 percent. In a study, winedrinkers rated white wine as 40 percent more refreshing when it was accompanied by "zingy
and refreshing" music ("Just Can't Get Enough" by Nouvelle Vague was their go-to zingy song).
The taste of red wine was altered 60 percent by "powerful and heavy music" like Orff's
"Carmina Burana."
"The tongue is easy to dupe." says Jonah Lehrer at Wired.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have some $8 chardonnay that needs a little help from Tina Turner.
May 11, 2012 - 10:41am

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33 Comments

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Sara in Al

2 years ago

"Another other "?

5

Bytter

Reply Share

2 years ago

That's inaccurate, not all teenagers like modern music, a shop playing classical music
draws me much more than one with "Call Me Maybe" blasting from the speakers
42

Reply Share

Ragnhild "Goldilocks" > Bytter

2 years ago

As a teenager, I'd much rather listen to Bach than the hit list "artists". I still do,
actually. At the moment, I'm listening to Haydn's opus 76, No. 3, movement IV:
Finale : presto.
23

Reply Share

Gwen > Ragnhild "Goldilocks"

a year ago

Aw, look everyone...a meeting of the special snowflakes.

52

Reply Share

SqueakyShark > Gwen

2 months ago

No one can see a snowflake in an avalanche.

1

Reply Share

Ei > Ragnhild "Goldilocks"

a month ago

Perhaps the classical music keeps away more of the worst of them

Reply Share

http://mentalfloss.com/article/30649/11-problems-music-can-solve[06/04/2015 01:07:32]

11 Problems Music Can Solve | Mental Floss

Nerak > Bytter

2 years ago

Maybe it is more of a reflection on maturity and character, in that it drives away

the "trouble-makers" while enticing or soothing those that are good for
business.
Although my daughter is not quite a teen, nearly 12, about the only music she
enjoys is Classical.
She is indifferent to Classic Rock, Oldies, Jazz, music from the
80's and 90's. But can't stand modern popular music.
21

Reply Share

SqueakyShark > Nerak

2 months ago

I think it's just too soothing and kills any adrenaline rush to be honest.
So if you're looking for fun, you won't find it around classical music. It's
probably why I get sleepy and bored easily in shopping malls.

Reply Share

Mike Hughey > Bytter

2 years ago

You're familiar with the meaning of the word "typically," yes?

71

Ei > Bytter

Reply Share

a month ago

Perhaps the classical music keeps away the worst of them

Nysssa

Reply Share

2 years ago

I have an ailing lemon tree. Maybe I should play it some Verdi?

19

Reply Share

Jewels Vern

2 years ago

#2 is silly. The only difference in music is people's opinion of it.

1

Reply Share

Graeme Millian

2 years ago

hehehe....little do they know, Tchaikovsky will make me loiter longer. It may even bring
me over to loiter
17

L--- C----

Reply Share

2 years ago

Dorothy Retallack's science was bogus.

2

Reply Share

Nice Nancy

2 years ago

I read somewhere, the beat of classical music can help raise Math scores. I play
classical music in my car while driving the kiddos to school.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/30649/11-problems-music-can-solve[06/04/2015 01:07:32]

11 Problems Music Can Solve | Mental Floss

Reply Share

onyxkitteh > Nice Nancy

a year ago

Especially Bach.

HoneyQ

Reply Share

a year ago

Tina Turner improves everything.

11

Reply Share

onyxkitteh

a year ago

I agree that music is the solution to so many things. I can't fathom why it should be cut
from school curricula as a "fluff" course. Aside from all the benefits, good music and
arts programs are what keep a lot of kids in school.
21

Reply Share

jazzgirl205 > onyxkitteh

3 months ago

Just listen to more music at home instead of tv. Schools provide just the
minimum they think a child needs. We can't depend on schools to fully educate
children. We must suplement. Wish it wasn't that way, but there it is.

Squishy

Reply Share

a year ago

Heh, growing up I preferred the classical to the 'rock music.' Due to childhood, being
hard of hearing, I couldn't hear the high pitch wail they use at local malls or 7-11's.

Joie

Reply Share

a year ago

so we are trying to scurry teens OUT of libraries? wha....?

2

Reply Share

Gwen > Joie

a year ago

Yeah, and malls and train stations? I don't get that one at all.

Teddy Ray

Reply Share

a year ago

#2 reminds me of this song:

http://mentalfloss.com/article/30649/11-problems-music-can-solve[06/04/2015 01:07:32]

11 Problems Music Can Solve | Mental Floss

Reply Share

a year ago

Check on American Music Therapy Association for specific scientific research result
and the use as treatment.
7

Reply Share

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