These are first processed in the brainstem, which can elicit a startle reflex and a release of adrenaline. When a song plays, sound waves reach the ear, where the vibrations are translated into electrical signals. Credit: Mike Roelofsĭespite these nuances, scientists have identified how music affects the human nervous system, engaging every region of the brain that has been mapped 1. Neuroscientist and musician Daniel Levitin listens to US jazz pianist Bill Evans to focus. “You’re never exactly the same person when you listen to the song again,” says Levitin, who has worked as a music consultant and recording engineer for a variety of artists, including Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, the Grateful Dead and Santana. Music’s effects vary depending on where someone is, the time of day, their mood, recent interactions and many other factors. Every environment in which you’re listening is different,” says Daniel Levitin, a musician and neuroscientist at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, who studies how music affects cognition and perception. But does music actually enhance productivity in the workplace? Intricate impactsĮvaluating music’s effects on performance is complex. Many scientists listen to music while conducting experiments, analysing data and even writing manuscripts. For example, the YouTube stream “Lofi hip hop radio - beats to relax/study to” has nearly 12 million subscribers. There is also a seemingly infinite number of curated playlists to fit a listener’s mood or activity, claiming to help boost fitness performance, calm the mind or increase productivity. It would take someone until the twenty-seventh century to listen to the 100 million or so songs currently available on the streaming service Spotify - without ever listening to a song twice, or to whatever is added from now on. “You have an armada of music at your disposal at all times,” says Manuel Gonzalez, an organizational psychologist at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. When it comes to access to music, this is a golden age.
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