Page 29 - Annonce Dergi | İzmir Özel Saint-Joseph Fransız Lisesi

The Bridge Between

Music and The Mind

One thing we don’t often think about is how struggle to remember basic information like names
fundamental of a role music really plays in our lives. and faces. Beyond emotions and memory, there is
Step into any coffee shop, supermarket, or store, and also something called musical imagery—the ability to
you’ll notice this: music is everywhere, woven into “see” an image in your head while listening to a song,
moments big and small, and this means that music is which varies wildly from one person to another. Some
no longer only plain background noise to us—it has people might be able to imagine detailed sceneries
the power to heal, comfort, nourish, calm, or energize and landscapes, while others may hardly be able to
us. There has been a lot of research done over the “see” anything. Listening to the same song can be a
years to explore the deep connection between music unique experience for each person, as one person’s
and human psychology, revealing that music has a personal interpretation of a song—depending on their
much wider impact on the human mind than we may current mood, their past experiences, and the way
think. sound is processed in their brain—can be entirely
different from somebody else’s. Music has become
Have you ever listened to sad, melancholic tunes to more than just a sound or a means of entertainment
connect with your feelings, or put on an upbeat playlist to us; it’s a universal language that doesn’t need any
to shake off a bad mood? Music has a direct line to translation, helping us get in touch with ourselves and
our emotions; it influences the release of chemicals like others on a much deeper level than what we can
dopamine, serotonin, or cortisol, helping us feel good achieve through only words.
and manage stress. Lullabies, for example, are known
worldwide to soothe babies, regulating their breathing Ceren Yüksel
and heart rates to ease them into sleep. Whether it’s
a song that makes you cry or a melody that brings
back long-lost memories, music has a powerful grip on
us, which is why music therapy can be used to treat
low mood, stress, a variety of mental health conditions
and even neurological disorders. It’s been shown
to reduce pain and speed up recovery for patients,
and has been used widely in hospitals, mental health
clinics, and rehabilitation centers to help people heal.
Music creates a bridge between the conscious and
subconscious. Hearing a song can transport you back
in time, as though you are reliving a memory from
your younger years in vivid detail—maybe it’s a song
from the first concert you ever went to, or a song one
of your family members used to sing to you as a child.
This happens because music activates multiple brain
regions, like the hippocampus, which is the area of
your brain that’s responsible for long-term memory.
That’s why people with dementia can sometimes
remember lyrics from decades ago, even though they

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