Playing Music Affects Physical and Mental Health Positively, Two Studies Reveal

While famous poets in the past have drawn our attention to the benefits of music, in being able to soothe us, a couple of studies have also corroborated this by verifying that playing music increases not only a sense of well-being but also has the ability to lower blood pressure.

The first study which was conducted by the Leiden University Medical Center evaluated the effect that music has on blood pressure. 28 non-musicians and 25 musicians (who practiced their instruments for 1.8 hours a day) were selected as participants for the study and factors such as height, weight, alcohol and caffeine consumption as well as the level of physical activity were compared.

Researchers found that the musicians had levels of lower blood pressure, thanks to their somatosensory nerve activity had a positive effect on their autonomic nervous system.

The other study conducted by the University of London found that playing music improved the well-being of a group of older adults. With data collected in three separate case studies, participants were asked to answer questionnaires and psychological need scales pertaining to autonomy, self-realization, competence and relatedness before and after playing music.

All three case studies showed that participants not only had a feeling of accomplishment, independence and self-control as well as a positive outlook to life.

Therefore, it can be safely concluded that playing an instrument is definitely beneficial to both physical and mental health.

The first study was published in the Netherland Heart Journal while the second was published in journal titled Perceptives of Public Health