Key to living in sweet harmony

HOW MUSIC CAN BOOST YOUR MOOD AND MIND LATER IN LIFE. BY CAMILLA FOSTER

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AS we grow older, it’s easy to overlook the simple things that can bring us joy and keep our minds sharp.

One of the most powerful tools for boosting mood and mental wellbeing is something many of us have loved our whole lives: music.

Here, Clare Maddocks, a qualified neurologic music therapist and education and research officer at the British Association for Music Therapy (BAMT), explains the many ways music can benefit the mind and mood later in life.

ENHANCE MOOD

“Music can have a very transformational impact on mood and one of the reasons for this is because we have a very strong neurological, physiological, but also psychological reaction to music,” says Clare.

“It's very individual, so one piece of music can elicit different emotions in different people.”

Engaging with music can create a multi-modal response in the brain, she explains, involving different domains of the brain such as the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex.

“As part of that, we can really tap into the reward and the emotional centre of the brain,” says Clare. “So, if we use the kind of music that brings out a positive response in us, it can really help improve our mood.”

IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTION, SUCH AS MEMORY