Music has both positive and negative effects on people's mental and physical health. While some music promotes negative topics like drugs and sex, music therapy has been shown to help manage pain, reduce stress and anxiety, boost mood, and aid physical healing. Studies also show music can improve cognitive abilities and athletic performance when listening to enjoyable music. However, very loud or repetitive music may cause harm by inducing seizures or tinnitus. Overall, music has significant impacts and benefits for people when used constructively.

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Emma Driggs
British Literature
Ms. Bennett
12/9/11
The Positive and Negative Effects of Music
Music is one of the most influential trends in culture today. It is one of many things that
everyone all around the world has in common. It affects people in both negative and positive
ways. The music industry tends to promote negative music that only sings about topics such as
drugs, sex, and money. The positive influential musicians are not in the spotlight as much as they
should be. Negative music becomes an issue when it becomes more than just music and starts to
be an escape for people. When musicians rap or sing about topics like drugs, they make it seem
like something to be encouraged rather than a deterrent. Teens who feel isolated, angry, or
depressed may become drawn in to music that feeds into those feelings.
Several studies show that a preference for heavy metal music may be a significant marker
for alienation, substance abuse, psychiatric disorders, suicide risk, sex-role stereotyping or risk-
taking behaviors during adolescence (American Academy of Pediatrics). Research has shown
that music has a very profound effect on the psyche and body. Music is also used every day as a
type of healing process, which is known as music therapy. The music a therapist uses with a
patient is very dependent on the patient’s preferences, circumstances and goals.
Music therapy helps people who suffer with many problems such as cancer, ADD,
muscle tension, and many more. Hospitals have begun using music and music therapy for a

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variety of things such as the following: help with pain management, depression, and to promote
movement. It is quite astonishing how much music can truly do for the brain. Music has an
impact on much more such as brain waves, breathing, heart rate, state of mind, and many other
benefits. It has been proven that music with a strong beat can stimulate brainwaves to become in
sync with the beat. Faster beats bring sharper concentration and more alert thinking. A slower
tempo creates a calm, meditative state. When there are changes in brainwaves, there becomes a
change in bodily functions (American Music Therapy Association).
Music therapy can help prevent the damaging effects of chronic stress and promote
health. Music helps keep depression and anxiety away. It also brings about a more positive state
of mind. It has been found to lower blood pressure, which reduces risk of stroke and other health
issues. Music affects people who suffer with brain diseases as well, like Alzheimer’s. Patients
with Alzheimer’s have been shown to benefit mentally from listening to music. The music
triggers some memories that have been otherwise forgotten (“Alzheimer's Treatments that Work
Now”).
Patients with Parkinson’s disease also benefit from the impact of music on the brain.
Sometimes patients with PD have too much movement and cannot stop the tremors or
involuntary movements. The urge to move may impede the need to relax and can make it very
difficult to sleep. In these cases, slow rhythmic music can slow down overactive body rhythms
and induce relaxation and sleep. Parkinson's disease can affect a patients mood, causing
depression, anxiety and even social isolation. Participating in music therapy groups, including
therapeutic drumming groups, dance and movement groups, and music therapy support groups,
can provide a way for self-expression and a closer connection to others. Active music therapy
can help in promoting both physical and emotional health (An Imaginary Being).

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Music has been proven to reduce heart and respiratory rates. The Arts and Quality of Life
Research Center did a study that concluded that patients with coronary heart disease found
listening to music beneficial because it reduced blood pressure and reduced anxiety. Another
interesting fact is that music can boost the immune function. Scientists explain that certain types
of music can create a profound and emotional experience, which leads to secretion of immune-
boosting hormones. This helps reduce illness, and can also lower levels of stress-related hormone
cortisol (eMedExpert).
Although there are many positive effects of music, there are negative effects as well.
Some types of music can make the brain lose its symmetry between its right and left halves, or
hemispheres. Many people do not realize that music can also cause some serious harm in the
form of tinnitus, which is a ringing, swishing, or other type of noise that seems to originate in the
ear or head. This can be caused by abnormally loud sounds in the ear canal. Heavy rock and rap
music have the most negative effects on the brain. A lot of repetition can lead to feelings of
anger and hostility. Music has also been found to cause epileptic seizures, which often result in
psychiatric problems. Musicogenic epilepsy is the technical term for seizures caused by music
(Scientific American). In order to get positive affects to the brain, music has to contain certain
characteristics. It needs to be fairly complex to involve more of the brain and keep the person
interested.
Music does not only affect people mentally, but also changes their views on life. Society
today is given mixed messages on what is wrong and what is right. Some people just follow the
crowd, which most of the time is a bad thing. Of all the types of music out there, hip-hop is
definitely the most promoted. Hip-hop culture was created in the early 1970’s by black and
Latino youth living in the economically depressed South Bronx. They exposed racism, drug

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abuse, and gang violence in their neighborhoods to the public. Hip-hop began to influence
fashion, language, and the way younger kids interacted with each other (“Gangster Rap,
Censorship of: Database”). Dr. West, who is associate professor of psychology and the study of
prevention of violence at the University of Washington stated, “What’s changed over time is the
greater sexualization of hip-hop. Initially, it started off as a revolutionary form of music. Now,
large corporations produce images that sell, and there is a blatant link between hip-hop and
pornography.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
A study was done by the Music Educators National Conference in 2001. It was concluded
that high school students who were actively involved in music, through their school or some
other facility, scored much higher math scores and verbal scores compared to those who were not
involved musically. Listening to music or playing an instrument can help people learn better.
Research has proven that music has the power to enhance higher brain function. It helps with
skills such as reading and literacy, spatial-temporal reasoning, mathematical abilities, and
emotional intelligence. Recent studies have found that listening to any music that is personally
enjoyable, not just classical, has positive effects on cognition. Children who struggle with
attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder benefit in math tests from listening to music beforehand
(eMedExpert).
Relaxing music has many therapeutic qualities. It has been used for promoting a variety
of healing throughout the ages. Music can help people to feel a state of deep relaxation, lower
stress, restful sleep, and even helps those with insomnia and physical healing (Enhanced
Healing). Not only does music help those with relaxation and sleep, but it helps with physical
activity such as running. It can help make running feel a lot easier. Studies find that when
listening to music, it decreases the runner’s perception of effort by ten percent. Therefore, it

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helps people to run faster and farther because you do not feel like you are running as hard as you
actually are. Music also brings about positive emotions, like excitement and happiness. It will
take away the negative aspects such as tension and fatigue; therefore, people will have a much
more enjoyable and non stressing workout/run. The only bad part about running with music is
that it can distract people from the other sounds that running makes, such as breathing and the
sounds of the environment going on around you. These things can make it unsafe, but as long as
people are aware of what is around them then it should not be too much of an issue (Pros and
Cons: Running with Music).
It is quite incredible how much music can affect the everyday routine. From all of the
research I have found, not only does listening to music help with healing processes, but it also
helps with a wide variety of mental and physical struggles. Music is definitely a huge factor in
society today. People do not realize that there is so much more to it then just listening to a song
that comes on the radio or watching music videos on MTV. Everyone should be careful about the
negative aspects of music, and focus more on the positive influences that it can bring. Music
therapy alone is extremely effective and inspiring. Who knew that music could help heal all
types of serious illnesses? Music is a powerful thing, and should be taken more seriously.