The Effects of Music on Memory

What is music? Music is a vocal and/or instrumental sounds combined in a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and also expression of emotion. What is memory? Memory is the faculty in which our mind stores and remembers information. So why is music and memory so important? Music and memory began with understanding that music is deeply in our brains. Our memory is what makes us who we are today. It is also categorized into two different types which is functional memory and affective memory. Functional memory is someone who remembers how to ride a bike, tie their shoes, and even learn the alphabet. Affective memory is the feeling or the emotion from events in our brains. Listening to music can help restore areas of the brain associated with memory, emotion, and also speech. Hearing any old song can take you back into those times in a blink of an eye. Music can boost your memory and your mood because it has a prominent role in the everyday life of many people. The thesis of this statement is to explain how music and memory can be helpful in a good way and in a bad way.

Music can help in such a good way because people who have suffered from traumatic brain injuries will often have problems with their memory. It can help by bringing back some of the most important moments in their lives that have been forgotten. People who suffer from dementia (major neurocognitive disorder) can target special moments by listening to music they heard when they were young. People can learn to speak their thoughts by singing them first. Music can also aid with depression and/or suicidal thoughts because it can help people to restore difficult times that was not exactly as bad as they thought it would be. The certain songs can ease the mind and help to relax by relieving all of the negativity out. Individuals that are depressed feel as if something is covering up their lives; but, hearing music and remembering special moments can help recall the more complex situations. Music can’t cure anything, but it can perhaps help heal. The particular reason music can help is because it provides rhyme and a rhythm which helps unlock a part in the memory to get people to remember. 

First, it all began with many people hearing music at a very young age. As a baby, it began with mothers’ and fathers’ singing lullabies. The particular reason for this circumstance is that the lullabies help the baby’s brains mature and also provides them with a sense of comfort, stability, and reduces tension. Music helps regulate emotions of both children and adults and also can help stimulate certain kinds of emotions through specific neural connections. For example, at someone’s birthday party when it is time to say “Happy Birthday” everyone sings it because they grew up knowing the rhythm of it. Growing up, my family always had family reunions where all the families would come together and spend quality time with one another. And, at every family reunion, there are usually these certain songs they play because they hold a special place in our hearts for big gatherings when everyone is around. “Music is found in every known society, past and present, and is considered to be a cultural universal.” Therefore, since music has been apart of our lives for centuries, our memory is use of the melody from all different types of songs.

Now I know you’re wondering, how can there be music in bad way if there is so many reasons it can be helpful in a good way? Trust me when I tell you there are different reasons music can be bad for the memory. For an example, when doing any kind of work whether it is completing assignments and/or studying, some individuals like to listen to music because they feel as if they are able to concentrate more. However, me personally, I prefer not to listen to music while doing any kind of work because it is nerve racking, and I can’t focus. Any bad effects of listening to music while studying can be instant by triggering problems with memory, mood, and other responses. According to the researchers at the University of Wales Institution, any music that is being played while trying to focus on assignments can weaken the ability to recall and memorize information. Twenty-five people were asked to remember information while being in a quiet place and also while listening to different kinds of music. The study showed that all twenty-five people did better in an environment with no noise. This actively demonstrates that that music can distract you from focusing and shows that many people should decide whether they should complete tasks in a quiet place or listen to music before completing a task instead of listening to music during tasks. 

Most teenagers prefer to block any outside noise when it comes to listening to music, so they tend to listen to their music loudly. As a teenager, yes, I agree 100% because I like to hear my music blasting without having to hear any distractions. However, music can cause damage to the hearing if there is music that is constantly being blasted in the ear, and over time it can get worst. As indicated by a new report by McMaster's Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behavior in Canada, a developing level of teenagers are taking part in "dangerous listening activities.” The music that is being blasted into their headphones or from speakers blocks out the rest of the world, so teens feel as if it is just them and the music. According to the research, one fourth of the 170 teenagers that were being studied encountered the indications of beginning stage tinnitus, a constant and endless ringing in the ears, which usually doesn't show up in grown-ups until after the age of 50. Despite the fact that tinnitus can be impermanent, it is a sign of auditory nerve damage and therefore is likely to become permanently damaged down the road. Music can also affect your memory in a bad way because many music artists make music about what they are going through and wanting their fans to understand how they feel. Their music has this ability to trigger powerful emotions, often coexisting with memory, but sometimes not. A study exposed subjects to music of different kinds while undergoing MRI testing, examining areas of the brain that were activated, and following up with psychological testing. It concluded that listening to sad music all the time can have a negative effect on mental health.

To sum up everything that has been stated so far, you can now see how music affects memory in a good way and in a bad way. Tunes that were famous in your childhood will trigger recollections and feelings when you hear them. Researchers can show where this occurs in our minds by using a brain-image technology. Music-triggered recollections started within the medial pre-frontal cortex, a part of the mind which sits simply behind our foreheads.