Does Music Relieve Stress?
What do you do when you are stressed? Do you cry? Do you go on a run and try to sprint out of your thoughts? When I feel pessimism trying to dominate my thoughts, I rush to my playlist. “Alexa! Play ‘jazz in nyc’!” Instead of thinking more about the negative, I slowly start forgetting everything that was previously taking control of my mind.
The consequences that follow higher levels of psychological strain can lead to major adverse effects on health quality later on in people’s lives. From the smaller breakouts that form during exam season to the cardiovascular diseases that develop due to chronic stress, stress shows itself in both minor and life-threatening ways.
Understanding the extent to which external pressure can influence our bodies, it’s imperative to learn about coping mechanisms that could help reduce it to prevent undesirable outcomes. One way to do that for many other people and for me is through the use of music.
Cortisol is a steroid hormone that regulates the body’s response to stress. Because stress is commonly divided into two categories—short-term and long-term— it’s important to differentiate between them to better contextualize individual cases. For instance, when thinking about music as a way to provide relief, it would be significantly better for people to use it as a coping mechanism in the short-run.
Intrigued by the idea of music’s benefits on mental health, I sent a poll to Dozecare’s 89 Instagram followers to see if others had similar experiences with music as a way of stress relief as I did. To the question, “Does music reduce your stress?”, out of the 65 people, 34 responded with “yes”, 2 responded with “no”, and 29 didn’t respond.
Although it’s difficult to make a definite generalization with this poll due to the lack of random sampling and a diverse sample, it can still be seen that most of Dozecare’s followers agree with the benefits that music can have on relaxation. The poll that I sent out and the dopamine (a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward) that is acquired through the music listening experience help highlight the potential benefits of music.
With the tasks and responsibilities that dominate our daily lives, it can become very easy for small things to lose their meaning. But activities like listening to music can often remind us to be more present in our lives and enjoy the moment. Other times, the music we listen to can bring back feelings of nostalgia that remind us of different versions of our past. This also helps us become more aware of our growth and character as time passes by, as well.
So, whenever you’re under pressure, run to your favorite playlist to relax and observe the meaning behind your feelings.
For those wondering, when I’m stressed out, this is my favorite playlist that I enjoy: jazz in nyc https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6vsYDHQMINL9jcLtkl3ToN?si=_BVdGnmjSeuh1ZiDqYXJpQ&pi=RYtXLLE-QOSSd
By Doga Ozecik