10 Ways Music Can Inspire Well-Being

Listening to music can cause a variety of emotions. It has a unique power to be able to alter our mood from sadness to happiness in an instant or even the opposite way around.

For years studies have been conducted to discover if there is any scientific evidence to back up such claims, and it appears that it can effect brain functioning according to some professors. Over at Men?s Fitness, there?s an interesting article which highlights 10 ways music can improve your well-being. It includes benefits such as improved workouts, less stress and help with insomnia. In fact, here?s an extract of the first two on that list:

1.???? Make HIIT Workouts More Bearable

A new study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise suggests that listening to music during intense yet unpleasant exercise such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT) makes the workout more enjoyable and pushes you to work out harder. When participants listened to music while cycling they increased their power output more than participants who biked in silence.

2.???? Change Your Mood

?It?s possible to shift or change one?s mood based on the music one listens to,? says Shara Sand, PhD, associate professor of psychology at LaGuardia Community College. Don?t make too dramatic a shift in tempo from the mood you?re in, she advises.??If you?re really hyped up and want to relax, you can?t put on something twice as slow as you are because it won?t feel good,? notes Sand.? Altering a mood using music is like tapering off drugs, she says.

It?s important to consider which types of songs you use for each task during the day. Faster paced music tends to focus the mind while slower songs can relieve stress or induce drowsiness. Ultimately however, it?s down to personal preference of which music you like that decides your mood. So why not check out the rest of article to see how music could change your outlook on life.