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Music on
the Mind.
Why can
some songs lift our mind, others make us cry?The Power Of Music (Do you know
that….)
Cutting crime
Music can be a powerful weapon in the fight against crime. Studies in
Australia, the US and the UK have shown that playing classical music and
hits by ‘uncool’ artists like Bing Crosby and Barry Manilow is effective at
driving away trouble-making youths from public places. A UK study of the use
of classical music in trains found robberies fell by 33%, assaults on staff
by 25%, and vandalism by 37%.
Providing Therapy
A number of medical conditions including autism, depression and chronic pain
have been shown in clinical studies to improve significantly as the result
of so-called ‘music therapy’ in which patients are helped to relax or
express their emotions by listening to music or playing musical instruments
under guidance of a trained therapist. In 2006 study by researchers at the
Uni. Of Western Sydney found that music therapy could also have a beneficial
role in the treatment of sick babies in intensive care, making them less
irritable and upset.
Boosting Brain Power
Mozart may have been a genius, but reports that listening to his music will
boost your IQ have been greatly exaggerated. In 1993, researchers at the
Uni. Of California claimed that listening to Mozart did boost scores in
certain types of IQ question, but they stressed that the improvement lasted
barely 15 minutes. A study by German researcher in 2007 debunked even the
idea – but didn’t rule out the idea that taking music lessons may helped
boost a child’s IQ.
Changing Your Driving
Certain type of music can be a fatal effect on drivers, according to
researcher, a test in a simulators showed that drivers listening to
fast-tempo music were twice as likely to jump red lights and drive badly as
those driving in silence. Playing in-car music too loudly can also reduce
reaction times by up to 20%
Restoring Memories
Music can help stimulate long-forgotten memories – and may help the elderly
combat memory loss. Scientists at the Uni. Of Leed, UK asked people to
recall event that, for them, were linked to memories of hearing the Beatles,
and found that the resulting memories were almost always positive and often
very vivid. According to the researchers, the result suggests memories are
not lost because of problems retrieving them. The music may help provide a
mnemonic ‘trigger’.
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