How Music Impacts our Mood, and Maybe Even Our Health
We are lucky enough to be alive in one of the most amazing times in human history, with arguably more technological advancement in the last 150 years than all of human history prior. With all of those advancements one thing that we haven’t solved, and have arguably made worse, is stress. Our ability to remain constantly “plugged in” to our jobs and bombarded with new information gives our brains little time to recharge. But what if there was something you could do that simultaneously entertained you, cheered you up, and released stress, all without leaving your house?
The power of music is that it can do all of these things and more. Psychologists have tested the ability of music to impact emotional and cognitive functions and found consistent evidence that simply listening to music can positively impact both. Listening to music that you enjoy releases dopamine, similar to exercising, getting a massage, or playing with a pet. Music has also been shown to lower cortisol levels. Excess Cortisol has been shown to lead to rapid weight gain, elevated blood sugar, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and changes in mood.
I won’t try to argue that listening to great music will make you healthy, but the evidence appears to show that it doesn’t hurt. With that justification in place, I think it is worth it to look at how we can make listening to music a more consistent part of our lives by addressing the needs in our homes.
There are dozens of rooms in the home that could host a 2-channel system, and they don’t have to be unattractive and complex, collections of wires, speakers, and electronics. Modern speakers are beautiful, and in-wall speakers have improved to the point that a dedicated listening room can be created with no visible equipment whatsoever.
In our clients' homes, we have seen many home offices that double as listening rooms. During the day, the client is able to play music to focus or stay energized; at night, a comfortable chair in the corner gives them a place to unwind. Similarly, media rooms can be fantastic listening rooms, as can theaters and living rooms.
For those who don’t think they can commit the time to stop what they are doing to listen to music, a whole home audio solution can infuse music into every part of your home. With our systems music can wake you up in the morning, invigorate your workout, entertain you while cleaning, unleash your creativity when cooking, and stimulate conversation at dinner time.
Our lives are stressful enough; let BRAVAS find a way to use music to make your home a more comfortable place to live, work, and play. Call or email us today to get started.
