4 Ways You Can Use Music to Make Your Everyday Life More Enjoyable

‘There’s a time and place for everything!’ You’ve probably heard this very many times, and if you’ve lived long enough to have made a couple of mistakes and learned a few lessons from them, you know this is true.

It’s also true about music. There is a time and place for every type of music, and probably every song as well. As Dan Scotti reasons:

Take Christmas music, for instance. If you threw on some Burl Ives at your Fourth of July BBQ, I’m sure you’d have your DJ privileges stripped on site.

Having said that, let’s say you throw on “Have A Holly Jolly Christmas,” in early December. I’m sure you’ll witness a completely different response from the rest of company.

My point is music is a very situation-dependent type of entertainment. Via Elite Daily

Want more proof? How many playlists do you have on your iTunes or favourite music player? How do you decide which playlist to go with whenever you want to listen to some music?

If you don’t choose the playlist based on your mood and what you’re doing at that exact moment, then you’re probably the exception. Most people will have several playlists that they can quickly put on when they’re in the mood for it. In fact, they already know which playlist they want before they turn the player on.

But if that’s not proof enough, there’s loads of actual scientific research proving that different types of music have different effects on people. Here are a few ways music can affect (and probably already affects) different aspects of your day:

1. While getting ready for work

The music you listen to in the morning could give you the boost you need to get your day started on a high note. A study by the University of Nevada found that music and stress levels are connected – through tempo.

Using a study headed by Dr. Jan Born of the University of Tubingen in Germany, results showed test participants who slept under the music-sleep condition (where they listened to music during their sleep session) performed significantly higher in recall tasks when compared to the control group.

According to Born, “importantly, the sound stimulation is effective only when the sounds occur in synchrony with the on-going slow oscillation rhythm during sleep.” Via Elite Daily

2. At work

You might think that music would serve as a distraction if you’re working, and you wouldn’t be completely wrong. On the other hand, it really depends on the type of music you are listening to versus the type of work you’re doing. In fact, research shows that music actually helps to make you more productive.

Studies out of the University of Birmingham, England, show that music is effective in raising efficiency in repetitive work — so if you’re mindlessly checking email or filling out a spreadsheet, adding some tunes will make your task go by that much faster. Via Business Insider

On the other hand, if your work requires high levels of brainpower and concentration, sounds of nature would be helpful.

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute recently discovered that adding a natural element could boost moods and focus.

Sounds of nature can mask intelligible speech just as well as white noise while also enhancing cognitive functioning, optimizing the ability to concentrate, and increasing overall worker satisfaction, the researchers found. The mountain stream sound researchers used in their study also possessed enough randomness that it didn’t distract test subjects. Via Business Insider

Some of the elements of music that may be distracting when your work demands lots of concentration include loudness and lyrics, and you can easily eliminate these from your work playlist.

3. When you hit the gym

Music makes hitting the gym a lot more fun – ask anyone with a regular gym routine. It enhances your performance by literally giving you the tempo for your workout.

The reason for this, as told by Ferris Jabr of Scientific American, might be the synchronization of your body to the rhythm.

…This concept especially applies to those at the gym, on the treadmill or on the track. While running, if the song you’re playing has a high tempo, it’ll likely encourage you to keep a faster physical pace to coincide with it. Via Elite Daily

4. When you get into bed

A lot of people need some music to get some shuteye. However, music does much more than get you to sleep. Research reveals that music can actually enhance your brain power as you sleep.

Using a study headed by Dr. Jan Born of the University of Tubingen in Germany, results showed test participants who slept under the music-sleep condition (where they listened to music during their sleep session) performed significantly higher in recall tasks when compared to the control group. Via Elite Daily

Featured Image: Image Credit

Tonight on Midnight ! Alexandre Tannous – The Power of Sound on Consciousness Have you ever wondered why music effects you the way it does?

— Art Bell (@ArtBell51) December 9, 2015

On #Beethoven’s b-day, new @mcgovernmit research finds neurons highly selective for music: https://t.co/b6wjDSf0JX pic.twitter.com/ZNii6VKen3

— MIT (@MIT) December 16, 2015

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