Had a stressful week at work? Feeling generally fed up and in need of a mood lift? Well crank up the reggae tunes because science says it will make you feel better. It’s not surprising that music evokes emotion within the brain because most of us feel that happening when we listen to it, which is why we choose to play different genres in different scenarios. For example, at a party we might sway more towards a fast-paced dancehall track, stimulating the crowd into having energy to dance and socialise. Whilst relaxing at home on the other hand after a long day at work, reggae music could be considered a more suitable option to unwind in our downtime. What is the science behind this though? A study by Logeswaran and Joydeep Bhattacharya from The University of London (UCL), published a study whereby participants were played music and then presented with a picture of a happy face. When asked to rate the happiness of this face, those listening to the music reported the happiness of the image to be higher (on a scale of 1 to 7) that those not listening to anything. This is because the emotions of music are known as “cross-modal” which means they crosslink between our senses, therefore what we hear is affected at the same time as what we feel.
| Reggae music has been specifically linked to positive emotions because of its composition. A steady beat of around seventy bpm means that we can relax to the sound of reggae whilst remaining uplifted. It also stimulates movement due to the regular, off-beat guitar rhythm which encourages ‘bobbing’ and ‘swaying’ motions. Both of which are relaxing for the mind and body. One thing reggae music is particularly good at, is encouraging the release of the happy chemical in our brains which is called ‘Dopamine’. This chemical can help to relieve anxiety, depression as well as physical aches and pains which is why the release of it, triggered by music, has such a positive effect on our wellbeing. According to www.mamiverse.com, the pace of reggae music relaxes us because it slows down our breathing. Naturally, we try to synchronise with the beat of the music, meaning a slow but regular beat slows down our breath and therefore our heart rate. Next time you’ve had a chaotic day or feeling anxiety creeping in, try streaming some reggae music on your phone through the Jamarado app. Don’t worry, be happy.
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Don’t
worry, be happy - just listen to Reggae
Had a stressful week
at work? Feeling generally fed up and in need of a mood lift? Well crank up the
reggae tunes because science says it will make you feel better.
It’s not surprising
that music evokes emotion within the brain because most of us feel that
happening when we listen to it, which is why we choose to play different genres
in different scenarios. For example, at a party we might sway more towards a
fast-paced dancehall track, stimulating the crowd into having energy to dance
and socialise. Whilst relaxing at home on the other hand after a long day at
work, reggae music could be considered a more suitable option to unwind in our
downtime.
What is the science behind this though? A study by Logeswaran and Joydeep Bhattacharya from The University of London (UCL), published a study whereby participants were played music and then presented with a picture of a happy face. When asked to rate the happiness of this face, those listening to the music reported the happiness of the image to be higher (on a scale of 1 to 7) that those not listening to anything. This is because the emotions of music are known as “cross-modal” which means they crosslink between our senses, therefore what we hear is affected at the same time as what we feel.
Reggae music has been
specifically linked to positive emotions because of its composition. A steady
beat of around seventy bpm means that we can relax to the sound of reggae
whilst remaining uplifted. It also stimulates movement due to the regular, off-beat guitar rhythm which encourages
‘bobbing’ and ‘swaying’ motions. Both of which are relaxing for the mind and
body. One thing reggae music is particularly good at, is encouraging the release
of the happy chemical in our brains which is called ‘Dopamine’. This chemical
can help to relieve anxiety, depression as well as physical aches and pains
which is why the release of it, triggered by music, has such a positive effect
on our wellbeing. According to www.mamiverse.com, the pace of reggae music relaxes us because
it slows down our breathing. Naturally, we try to synchronise with the beat of
the music, meaning a slow but regular beat slows down our breath and therefore
our heart rate.
Next time you’ve had a
chaotic day or feeling anxiety creeping in, try streaming some reggae music on
your phone through the Jamarado app. Don’t worry, be happy.
