Loud music stimulates your brain

Something we all knew intuitively now has scientific backing (score another one for scientists!). It turns out that while loud music can make you deaf as a post, it also stimulates your brain. Stay with me here…

According to researchers at Manchester University across the pond, loud music causes a release of hormones that make us feel good. This explains why, after a no-holds-barred practice session, you feel so much better than you did beforehand. Between the joy of playing and the joy of listening, you’re good. Who needs a “runner’s high”?

This article contains many assertions that challenge conventional wisdom, and as with all things research-related, future studies may refute many of these findings. But as Part-Time Musicians (PTMs), we recognize the truth in the ability of music to lift our spirits, to refocus us upon the good in life rather than the bad.

NOTE: Long-term exposure to loud music causes hearing damage. Protect your ears; you only get one set!

One quibble with the article:

“When these desires are satisfied, the brain is stimulated into releasing feelgood (sic) hormones that make us calm, happy and responsive. So to trigger a dose of happy hormones on a Monday morning, you should, in theory, choose Black Sabbath over chamber music.”

While the research seems sound, the Mail’s author seems a bit ignorant of the “rock stars” that exist in classical music. Black Sabbath is all well and good, but don’t discount the brain-stimulating power of cranking up some Tchaik.