How music affects your brain

Plus more health news | Email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( [Health Matters]( [Music can significantly enhance your daily life]( By Rachel Sonis Associate Editor, Ideas The power of music can't be overstated—not only for its ability to soothe the soul, but for what it can do for our bodies, particularly our brains. Like exercise and sleep, music is essential for enhancing and nourishing our minds, writes Susan Magsamen, a researcher at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and author of Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us. Here's what Susan reveals about music’s effects on the brain in her new piece for TIME: - It can be a reward system: If you’re feeling down and begin listening to a favorite song, you'll initiate increased blood flow to different regions of the brain, including the limbic system, and ignite a flood of positive emotions and memories. - We’re wired for it: Music and sound encourage the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which enhances focus, planning, and clear thinking. - Making music has significant benefits, too: Research has found that when mothers sing to their babies, it can help relieve symptoms of postpartum depression and enhance bonding by reducing the stress hormone cortisol. [READ MORE]( Share This Story What Else to Read [Abortion Bans Fail in Conservative South Carolina and Nebraska]( By MARGERY A. BECK and JAMES POLLARD / AP In both South Carolina and Nebraska, two deeply conservative states, proposed abortion bans failed by one vote in state legislatures. [Read More »]( [How to Maintain Your Social Life When You Have IBD]( By Elizabeth Millard Keeping connections strong can boost your health, but it's challenging when you're anxious about flare-ups. [Read More »]( [What to Know About Bariatric Surgery for Type 2 Diabetes]( By Markham Heid Research indicates that surgery can put diabetes into remission, and it’s safe and cost-effective. [Read More »]( [5 Ways to Keep Your Brain Sharp As You Age]( By Matt Fuchs An aging mind isn't a weak one. (Originally published in 2021.) [Read More »]( [Stop Spending Money to Avoid Uncomfortable Emotions]( By Jenn Lim Happiness expert Jenn Lim on why we misunderstand the relationship between spending money on ourselves and our emotional wellbeing. [Read More »]( AN EXPERT VOICE "Exploring a new area—like taking a new route when you walk home from the grocery store or biking somewhere new—is really good for the brain." —Emma Waddington, a researcher at McMaster University who studies how exercise improves mental and cognitive health --------------------------------------------------------------- If you were forwarded this and want to sign up to receive it daily, [click here](. Today's newsletter was written by Rachel Sonis and edited by Angela Haupt. [Want more from TIME? Sign up for our other newsletters.]( [Subscribe to TIME]( TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services in this email. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Connect with TIME via [Facebook]( | [Twitter]( | [Newsletters]( [UNSUBSCRIBE]( [PRIVACY POLICY]( [YOUR CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS]( TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508, Boone, IA 50037-0508 Questions? Contact health@time.com Copyright © 2023 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved.