September is classical music month! We thought it
would be the perfect time to explore all the positive benefits that classical
music has to offer our overall health. Whether you like classical music or not,
it has been proven to have positive effects as it relates to the brain. It
reduces stress and anxiety, as well as aids in enhancing intelligence. Research
conducted at the Duke Cancer Institute shows that playing classical music
through noise-cancelling headphones actually reduced the pain, stress, and
anxiety associated with prostate biopsies.
Classical music can also alter brainwaves. Studies
have shown that children who listened to classical music for one hour per day
for a period of sixth months had a change in their alpha rhythm frequency. This
indicated that the children had a greater level of relaxation than those who
were not listening to classical music. What was even more interesting was that
the children were not required to focus on the music. They were allowed to play
and focus their attention on other things while the music was being played in
the background.
Is classical music the next superman? Sounds
ridiculous, right? Well, it actually has more truth than you think. In 2003,
city officials in London began playing classical music at several different
transit stations. After a year and a half robberies, assaults, and vandalism
all dropped by a significant percentage. Portland, Minneapolis, Toronto, New
York and Atlanta have also begun to play classical music at transit stations in
high crime areas in hopes of lowering the crime. So take a moment and relax
with the sounds of Bach, Beethoven or Mozart. You may realize it’s exactly what
the doctor ordered!
