The Impact of Music on Human Experience: Defining Our Character through Sound
With a scientific explanation on how music affects us
This one is going to be a short one but I felt the need to write so, here it goes…
We perceive sound in a way which almost none of the other species does. We have instruments which have capabilities to create music which cannot be created with nature. Music is something that is uniquely human. One may argue that there are other animals which produce musical sounds, but it is merely their method of communication.
Music has been a part of human culture since at least the last 60,000 years. The oldest instrument found was a flute, made from a bird bone in Germany. Since then, it has become one of the most important part of our culture. Are there any religion or cultures without music? Each festival has a unique sound, jingle or songs associated with it.
A survey showed that we spend an average of 18 hours per week listening to music that is an average of more than 2.5 hours a day and that is steadily increasing since the inception of the internet, especially after the start of streaming services. This reflects how close music is to us.
You might have heard a lot of people say that, “You can identify a person by looking at the type of music they listen to”. That is true but it is the opposite case, the person becomes the type of music they listen to. If you listen to sad music, you become sad, if you listen to happy music you become happy. This becomes your liking, and you feel what you listen to.
Music has both psychological and physiological effect on us. However in the last decade there has been a significant rise in rap and rock music. In my opinion this is harsh music. There have been several studies in which the effect of harsh and calm music has been studied on both living and non-living. In one experiment, a Japanese researcher found that the structure of ice is more symmetrical when the water is exposed to classical music. In another research by a group of scientists in California, shows that the water is more conductive when it is exposed to calm and soothing music. One of the most famous experiment was by a famous physicist from India, who is attributed for the discovery of a phase of matter BEC (Bose Einstein Condensate), Dr. J.C. Bose. In his experiment, he designed a device to measure the growth of plants, and then exposed the same type of plant to different types of music. He consistently recorded that the plant which was exposed to pleasant music, recorded higher growth. Although we are a different species, I think, these findings will be consistent to us as well.
In conclusion, just like the people surrounding us, define our character, the music surrounding us define us.
PS. Let me know your thoughts down below. Share it with your friends who need to read this. Also would really appreciate a few claps and a follow if you liked it.
