3 Reasons Why Playing Music Is Good For Your Health

 

Whether you already play a musical instrument or you’re considering picking up this talent, playing music can have a lot more benefit to you than simply being a fun hobby or making you look cool. In fact, playing music has been linked to improving your overall health in a variety of ways. 

So if you’re needing more reasons to convince you to dust off your guitar or to start piano lessons, here are three reasons why playing music is good for your health. 

It Reduces Stress

According to Harvard Medical School, playing music can help you to feel less stress in your life.

Not only is this possible because it allows you to get your mind off of other things that could be stressing you out, but it also can help you feel more of a connection with your emotions and the emotions of other people, both of which will also help you to reduce stress and find more contentment in life. 

But the effects of music on stress don’t stop at just your own internal stress. Playing music while you’re sick or recovering from some illness or surgery can also help to speed your recovery by reducing the stress that will naturally accumulate within your body in situations such as these. 

It Helps With Your Memory And Recall

As you age, your memory and your ability to recall things that you thought you had remembered will start to dull. But for people who play a musical instrument, this memory and recall won’t be dulled quite as much.

According to HopkinsMedicine.org, especially if you’re able to pair certain pieces of music with other things that you’re trying to remember, your recall for that information will be much easier for you to access. Additionally, just the sheer act of using more of your brain to learn how to play a musical instrument will give your brain better practice with building connections between thoughts and ideas, further improving your memory. 

It Improves Your Heart Health

Playing and listening to music can also have a positive effect on the overall health of your body, particularly when it comes to your cardiovascular health.

Fred Cicetti, a contributor to LiveScience.com, shares that studies have shown that making music, not just listening to it passively, can lower your blood pressure and decrease your heart rate. So even if you’re just playing a musical instrument for yourself as a pastime, you can have some major physical benefits from it. 

If you’ve been thinking about playing a musical instrument but didn’t feel like it could really be beneficial to you in your life, consider how the mental and physical improvements mentioned above could impact your life in a positive way.