Music: The Happiness Booster

“Music is the cheapest yet most effective therapy”

Did you know around 7.11 Billion people listen to music globally? With an average person spending 962 hours listening to music annually, so what exactly makes Music such a crowd-pleaser?

Research has shown that listening to music can reduce anxiety, stress, and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory. If you want to keep your brain engaged throughout the aging process, listening to or playing music is a great tool.

What happens when we listen to music?

According to research, music has a variety of positive effects on both our mental and physical health. From relieving pain and enhancing functionality after degenerative neurological conditions, to treating anxiety, sadness, and stress, music therapy can be used to supplement traditional treatment.

It’s good for the heart:

According to studies, listening to music makes the blood flow more freely. Additionally, it can lower blood pressure, slow down the heartbeat, and raise serotonin and endorphin levels in the body.

It improves mood:

Music can increase the brain’s output of the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine. Anxiety and depression symptoms are lessened thanks to enhanced dopamine production. The amygdala, a region of the brain involved in mood and emotions, directly perceives music.

It is a Stress buster:

According to research, music can lower stress by activating biological stress reducers.

It fosters creativity:

One of our best traits as humans is our capacity for creativity. It not only enables us to produce art but also aids in problem-solving and the development of superior assets. Since practically every role requires it, it is a key ability.

It improves intellect, memory, and learning:

A study on the impact of music on cognitive abilities found that listening to relaxing background music may enhance cognition. It can help, but how much depends on a number of things. These include your level of musical training and how much you enjoy the song.

Music’s impact on the workplace

Because music can increase your brain’s dopamine levels, the right music can help your work feel more enjoyable. Since it does not demand concentration, familiar music can increase productivity. The research that is now known suggests that listening to music one enjoys can momentarily heighten energy or mood as well as enhance cognitive function. So how will it positively impact a workplace:

Can create new bonds:

People that enjoy the same music can connect and learn more about one another. Colleague engagement will increase as a result, and new, creative ideas may arise.

Fosters creativity:

Researchers discovered in 2017 the effects that various musical genres have on creativity. This shows that upbeat music with strong emotions fosters creativity. In particular, it expands the number of thoughts. The music must have a powerful emotional impact and a catchy beat in order to be effective.

Slays boredom:

Boredom is one of the main factors that contribute to work-related stress since it lowers levels of high performance and job satisfaction. It lessens the sense of pride and ownership that an employee should have in their work. Music can assist reduce boredom at work, which is important if you want any employee to succeed.

Workplace environment enhancer:

Music energizes the staff, and cheerful music also gets lazy-heads moving. Feel-good music energizes the workplace and fosters a work environment that may entice other candidates to apply.

Memory booster:

You can withdraw from “noise” and enter a state of meditation with the help of music, which will help you remember information more effectively. This helps nurses, who must remember treatment protocols, and salespeople, who must recall product details.

How do you introduce “Music” to the workplace?

Music is a universal language and has no boundaries, it is something every individual enjoys once in a while. Like we all love singing publically or in the bathroom, we all have that one tune we love going along with. Similarly playing musical games such as “Antakshari” could light up the workplace with happiness and joy. Here is a selection of musical games that you might implement in your workplace:

Guess The Tune Contest:

The name says it all, one person will play a tune/song without disclosing the name, and participants must guess the name of the song within a given amount of time. This will definitely bring back some good old memories.

Musical Chairs:

The game needs no introduction, I guess we’ve all enjoyed playing this as kids. It’s a game that is bound to make every participant happy. All you need is a few chairs, people to take part, and a good playlist that gets them in the mood.

Open Mic Night:

While this isn’t entirely based on music, the original concept was made for people to come up and sing a song or poem they wrote. It is a fantastic technique to learn about individuals and could reveal hidden abilities.

Karaoke Nights:

A timeless classic that can morph a regular person into Beyonce. All you have to do is choose a song, take the mic, and go bonkers on it. It’s such a confidence booster, especially for co-workers that don’t express themselves so much regularly.

Live Drum Circle:

Trust me this works wonders! A live drum circle is a music school-organized event where each participant receives a drum or other percussion instrument to perform. Team members are required to generate thumping drum beats and patterns while following the music instructor. It’s an excellent stress reliever that encourages new ideas in the workplace.

So, how does Music help individuals boost productivity?

“A happy mind is likely to accomplish more than a melancholy one.”

While there is a direct correlation between music and happiness, this connection can vary from person to person. For example, the lyrics of a motivational song at the start of the day might give you an adrenaline rush and put you in the right frame of mind to get things done, whereas the beats of an upbeat electronic song would do the same to someone else.

Final thought: “A good song a day keeps inefficiency at bay.”

When?

Sometimes listening to your favorite song can lift your spirits, help you get over a creative barrier, or just get you back in the flow. A piece of great music has the ability to influence moods and release feel-good hormones that lead to a shift in perspective.

How?

“Music is a language that doesn’t speak in particular words. It speaks in emotions, and if it’s in the bones, it’s in the bones.” This famous Keith Richards quote succinctly expresses the idea. On a spiritual level, music can do wonders; it is miraculous how it can shift someone’s mood or even cause them to completely transform.

Why does Music prevail?

Humans have such profound emotional resonances that music affects us in ways we might not even be aware of, enhancing our ability to emote, function more effectively, and feel better. Everyone can agree that music is a happy thing. Because of this, people everywhere dance it out after a tough day at work.

To sum it up, music in the workplace is a win-win situation because it illuminates the environment, makes it more lively, encourages interaction, fosters creativity, increases productivity, and, most importantly, increases happiness.

So, what are you doing at your workplace to promote happiness through music?