Next time you’re walking around campus, take a look at the people wearing headphones. They might appear particularly confident and carefree.
It might have something to do with their iTunes playlists.
Haven’t you ever noticed that “Eye of the Tiger” helps you run faster and “Don’t Worry Be Happy” lifts your spirits? Music has powerful effects and accumulating research has uncovered new ways music might improve your daily life.
Thus, you could experiment with music as a means to concentrate, relax and feel happier.
But what about music’s more innovative uses? For instance, can the right pre-midterm song boost your score? Will a playlist of laid-back jams calm your roommate after you erase the “Real Housewives of New Jersey” marathon he recorded? Can you convince a professor that you are a genius by playing classical music from speakers attached to your backpack?
Research has not provided clear answers, but evidence is beginning to fill the gaps (personal experience suggests that professors are not impressed by the classical music).
According to a small study at the University of Miami, music improves thinking in high-skills jobs like computer programming. This means that good tunes might also boost exam scores. Other research indicates that listening to music before an oral presentation lowers stress, heart rate and blood pressure. It could have the same effect on a fuming roommate.
Other studies indicate that music can improve balance in Parkinson’s disease, reduce blood pressure and boost the immune system. This past April, a randomized trial published in The British Journal of Psychiatry reported that playing or listening to music alongside a therapist improves symptoms of major depression.
Music has been used to improve function for millennia. According to paintings from 2,800 years ago, the Greeks employed harpists to improve athletic performance at the Olympics. Now, many factories play music to improve productivity and surgeons turn on their iPods during operations, encouraged by studies indicating that music improves surgeons’ dexterity.
But what type of music works best? Dr. Hans-Joachim Trappe, a cardiologist from the University of Bochum in Germany, argues that classical music is the most heart-healthy.
