Can you imagine the world without music?

Many people are aware of the fact that music has the ability to alter the mood, change an opinion, improve concentration and motivate people. With recent advances in neuroscience, researchers are now able to accurately measure how music truly affects the brain, according to BeBrainFit.

In the 1950s the study of music therapy began, with Europeans questioning the benefits of music. Researchers discovered how music relieves negative emotions such as depression, stress and anxiety, and also boosts the immune system, according to PsychCentral. Music has been discovered to help heal patients from Parkinson’s disease or a stroke by using music waves to energize neurological defects, according to NPR.

Studies have shown that listening to classical music increases concentration and improves memory which can benefit patients with Alzheimer’s. This is known as the Mozart Effect, according to CMuse.

“I listen to either movie soundtracks with no lyrics or jazz while I do my homework,” junior Ingrid Landgraver said, “I think the jazz keeps me alert without distracting me whereas classical music helps me when I need to really concentrate.”

This action is known as the “irrelevant sound effect” according to Edutopia. This is when someone is working on a task while listening to background music without lyrics; it allows for people to retain information faster and to stay engaged in the work. Listening to music with lyrics can impair comprehension and productivity, according to Edutopia.

Listening to music is known to naturally exercise the brain. By using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), it can determine the most active parts of the brain from the blood flow. Studies have shown listening to upbeat music increases activity in the brain, according to The Center for Interdisciplinary Music Research at the University of Jyväskylä. It can spur creativity, reduce blood pressure, improve sleep quality, mood and mental alertness.

“Music helps me relax. When I am stressed out I listen to music,” junior Vivian Roher said.

Music has the power to touch or move people, physically or emotionally. It can evoke vivid memories from the past and put the mindset back to the exact feeling attached to the song. It can draw out a deep connection with romance and heartbreak; exciting or painful memories, according to Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, a journal on the vivid music memories of neuroscience.

“I believe music is essential to everyone’s life. Music builds character,” senior Peter Sherek said.

There is a connection between personality traits and the music individuals listen to, according to Music Psychologist Adrian North. North discovered that each music genre fell under one of the five personality types- openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

For example, 74 percent of people who listen to pop music or electronica are known to be explorers. They are open to discovering new ideas and travelling, making them extroverted, according to 16personalities. Also 84 percent of indie rock or punk music listeners are known to be confident individuals. And 80 percent of rock listeners are known to be conscientious and respectable in the workplace, according to 16personalities.

“I listen to music as a distraction to take my mind off of other things,” sophomore Cameron Januik said.

Human brains are naturally programmed to have a an emotional or physical response to music, according to NPR. For example, if there is fast music playing in a restaurant, people will eat quicker; and slow music in stores can encourage people to take their time as they shop, according to North.

“Music gets me pumped up for sports. It gets your heart going,” sophomore Ryan Sande said.

A favorite song has the ability to stimulate positive activity in the brain. It triggers the auditory cortex, causing “earworm”–better known as having a song stuck in your head. This most likely happens to people who are tired or stressed, because it allows their brain to take a break, according to ScienceDaily.

With the holiday season right around the corner, consider the neurological and emotional effects that impact the brain when listening to festive music. Music can bring a sense of nostalgia and cheer into the season.