If music is everywhere in our lives, on the radio, in our headphones, in the car, in the street on holidays, and even on the supermarket shelves, we often ignore the effects it has on our brain.
Have you ever wondered why it is sometimes so difficult to get rid of a catchy melody? And why listening to music can help us fall asleep? Did you know that music is used to soothe Alzheimer’s patients?
Bintily Diallo receives today Herve Platel, researcher in neuropsychology at the University of Caen and brain specialist. He is one of the first to have studied, from the 90s, the effects of music on the brain, thanks to neuroimaging. He introduces us the therapeutic possibilities offered by musicin particular because we have demonstrated the neuroplasticity of the brain, which changes with experiences and the environment.
The benefits of music
Many listeners confide in the very strong relationship they have with music. Marie-Claude says: “I feel like I live through music, and the moment I listen to it, my body goes into action.” Fanny, too, reports: “Since the age of 6, it has been a therapy that has allowed me to forget all my sorrows, my worries.” Marc, in his job as a cabinetmaker, has a musical relationship even with his tools. For Jérémie, music conjures up childhood memories, and can even bring tears to his eyes.
Hervé Platel clearly explains that the regions of the brain mobilized during listening or playing music are very numerous and that this explains the different effects and benefits that music can cause. This is also why music can become a great therapeutic lever, especially for patients with neurovegetative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Whether it’s classical music, rock or even hard rock, the pleasure will be the same if it’s the style of music that gives you emotions and sensations!