POSITIVE MOOD CHANGER!

 

CAN MUSIC ACTUALLY CHANGE THE WAY YOU FEEL? 🎵

We spend a tremendous amount of time talking about the physical side of health.

Exercise.
Nutrition.
Sleep.
Recovery.
Stress management.

But there is another tool that most of us already have access to every single day:

Music.

And it may influence far more than whether we're simply in a good or bad mood.

Classical music has been studied for its relationship with relaxation, concentration, cognition, emotional state, stress, and overall well-being. My book, The Symphony of the Soul, explores these connections and the fascinating idea commonly called the Mozart Effect.

YOUR BRAIN IS LISTENING TOO

Music isn't simply background noise.

When we listen to a complex piece of music, our brains are processing melody, rhythm, harmony, dynamics, patterns, anticipation, memory, and emotion simultaneously.

That's one reason music can have such a powerful effect on us.

A song can bring back a memory you haven't thought about in 30 years.

Another can make you feel energized almost instantly.

Another can make you reflective.

And another can help create an atmosphere where you finally begin to relax.

We don't merely hear music.

We experience it.

WHAT IS THE MOZART EFFECT?

The term became famous after research explored what happened when people listened to Mozart before performing certain cognitive tasks.

The original research didn't prove that listening to Mozart permanently makes someone smarter. What it helped ignite, however, was a much larger scientific conversation about something extremely interesting:

How does music affect the human brain?

Researchers have continued investigating relationships between music and attention, memory, emotion, stress, relaxation, learning, and cognitive performance.

And that leads to an important practical question:

Could we become more intentional about the music we listen to?

Instead of music simply being entertainment, could we occasionally use it as another tool?

MUSIC AND STRESS

Think about what happens when you're stressed.

Your thoughts race.

Your muscles may tighten.

You become distracted.

It can become difficult to concentrate on one thing because your mind is trying to process ten things at once.

Now imagine sitting somewhere quiet, turning off the television, putting down the phone, and listening to a slow classical composition for ten minutes.

Nothing else.

Just listen.

The book explores how classical music can be incorporated into relaxation and stress-management routines and how different compositions may create very different emotional experiences.

It isn't medication.

It isn't magic.

And it certainly isn't a replacement for professional medical care.

It's simply another potential tool.

MUSIC AND EXERCISE

Here's where this subject becomes especially interesting for ISO QUICK readers.

Most people automatically associate workout music with something FAST.

Rock.

Hip-hop.

Heavy metal.

Anything with a pounding beat that makes you want to move.

But what about the other parts of training?

Before the workout.

Between difficult sets.

Stretching.

Mobility work.

Cool-down.

Recovery.

Classical music may have a place there too.

In The Symphony of the Soul, I explore incorporating classical music into exercise and fitness routines—not necessarily as a replacement for your favorite workout playlist, but as another way of changing the environment surrounding your training.

That's an important distinction.

You don't need Mozart blasting while you're trying to set a personal record.

But perhaps slower music works during mobility work.

Maybe another composition helps you mentally prepare before training.

Maybe classical music becomes part of your post-workout routine when the objective changes from GO to RECOVER.

Experiment.

MUSIC AND CONCENTRATION

We live in what may be the most distracted period in human history.

Phone.

Email.

Text.

Social media.

Television.

Notifications.

Another notification.

Then another.

Trying to concentrate for 30 uninterrupted minutes can sometimes feel like a workout itself.

Classical music is particularly interesting here because much of it contains no lyrics competing for your verbal attention.

The book discusses using classical music while working and studying, and how different composers and styles may affect concentration differently.

Try an experiment.

The next time you have something requiring concentration, put your phone away and play quiet instrumental classical music.

Work for 20–30 minutes.

Then ask yourself:

Was I more distracted—or less?

That's more useful than somebody on the Internet telling you what you're supposed to experience.

Test it yourself.

MUSIC AND SLEEP

Sleep may be one of the most underestimated parts of physical performance.

You don't build yourself while you're lifting the weight.

Training provides the stimulus.

Recovery allows adaptation.

And sleep is a major part of recovery.

Yet many people spend the final 30 minutes before bed staring at a phone, watching television, answering emails, or scrolling through social media.

Then they wonder why their brain doesn't immediately shut down when their head hits the pillow.

Consider replacing part of that routine with something completely different.

Dim the lights.

Put the phone away.

Sit somewhere comfortable.

Play something slow.

And give your brain permission to stop solving problems for a few minutes.

The Symphony of the Soul explores classical music as part of a relaxation and bedtime routine and encourages listeners to experiment with composers and compositions to discover what personally creates that sense of calm.

THERE ISN'T ONE PERFECT PIECE OF MUSIC

This may be my favorite part of the entire subject.

Human beings respond differently.

Mozart might make you feel relaxed.

Beethoven might make you feel powerful.

Bach might help you concentrate.

Vivaldi might energize you.

Chopin might make you reflective.

Someone else may experience those same compositions completely differently.

And that's okay.

In fact, the book dedicates an entire section to identifying your personal musical preferences and building a mood-enhancing playlist around the emotional response you're trying to create.

That's very similar to something I've said about fitness for years:

There is no single perfect program for everybody.

There is the program that works for you.

Music may work the same way.

TRY THIS SIMPLE 7-DAY EXPERIMENT

For one week, become more deliberate about what you listen to.

Try classical music for 10–20 minutes while:

• Working
• Reading
• Stretching
• Cooling down after exercise
• Meditating
• Relaxing after a stressful day
• Preparing for sleep

Don't worry about whether you're listening to the "right" composer.

Pay attention to your response.

Did you feel calmer?

Did you concentrate better?

Did time seem to pass differently?

Did one composer energize you while another relaxed you?

Did certain music irritate you?

That's useful information too.

You're creating your own personal data.

FITNESS IS MORE THAN MUSCLE

ISO QUICK has always been about becoming stronger and functioning better.

But strength doesn't exist in isolation.

Your sleep matters.

Your recovery matters.

Your stress matters.

Your concentration matters.

And your mental environment matters.

That's why I find this subject so fascinating.

A tool doesn't have to weigh 50 pounds to affect how you perform.

Sometimes the tool is a barbell.

Sometimes it's resistance bands.

Sometimes it's rest.

And sometimes...

it's a symphony.

My book THE SYMPHONY OF THE SOUL: Classical Music's Impact on Our Mood takes a deeper look at classical music, the Mozart Effect, mood, stress, concentration, creativity, sleep, meditation, exercise, and creating your own personalized playlists.

The goal isn't to convince you that classical music is some miracle cure.

It's much simpler than that:

Listen. Experiment. Pay attention to how you respond.

You might discover that one of the easiest additions to your wellness routine was already sitting in your music library.

— Kevin B. DiBacco