Emotion |

“Outdated,” “meaningless,” and “bland” are the three words my friend used when I asked him to describe his thoughts on classical music. I grew up listening to Debussy, Mozart, and Beethoven, but for many people, classical music serves no benefits. Contrary to many beliefs, classical tunes have actually proven to improve mental health and reduce stress. Maybe it’s time to reconsider those playlist choices.

Improves Sleep Quality

A study was done in 2008 to manifest the positive effects classical music has on students who have trouble sleeping. From the 94 students who participated, they were each divided into groups of three (group 1, 2, and 3). Group 1 listened to 45 minutes of classical music (or relaxing music) while Group 2 listened to an audio book and Group 3 was the control group, meaning they had no change in their usual routine before bed. The outcome resulted in an improved sleep quality in Group 1. Essentially, if you are a student suffering from insomnia or trouble falling asleep, try tuning into some relaxing tunes instead of techno or pop before going to bed. You may definitely find some developments.

Increase Intelligence

Listening to classical music actually makes you smarter. Cool, huh? In 1993, studies showed a correlation between listening to classical music and increased IQ levels. The outcome? American capitalism taking advantage, of course. This is spurred the release of products like baby Mozart and CD’s intended for expecting women to listen to on speaker for the sake of the baby’s brain development and health. Aside from this, consider listening to some classical music while studying - it may help retain information!

Emotional Affect

This is an interesting one and I don’t know how most of us feel about this but classical music makes you more emotional. Knowing me, this is probably a key reason to not listen to classical music as my emotional capacity is at an all-time high. But in 2001, there was a study in Southern Methodist University that showed that listening to classical music heightens emotions. This is linked to being more expressive and demonstrative with the things that they said and did.

Surgery Recovery

If you have gone through surgery, you know that the recovery is a major component in the success of the surgery. It is absolutely imperative that you remain relaxed and stress-free. Listening to classical music after surgery can actually “help tune out pain.” Studies have demonstrated that classical music can help reduce the amount of opiates given to patients! Other studies have shown this it can relieve chronic pain. It seems meds may not be the only solution to pain!

Blood Pressure

If you are dealing with high blood pressure or know someone that is, fill them in on this info: classical music can help lower blood pressure as it was studied in the University of San Diego. After 30 minutes of listening, pregnant women also displayed lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Classical music can maybe even help you steer away from those meds with time.

Classical music has been incredibly underrated in the past years as pop, hip-hop, techno, and other genres have emerged in the music industry. However, when it comes to health, maybe it’s worth a try to pop in that old cassette. You may find yourself surprised - the tunes are magical!

Image: Alice Carrier

We communicate and relate to others through language. Not all of it has to be written or spoken. It can exist in many forms, such as computer code or even symbols, like the way a red light means stop. An example of this is American Sign Language, which allows people to sign their words. How we use language can provide identity.

We can learn about someone’s background in just a few words. The fact that there are so many languages means you can tell where someone is from in seconds. While there are many languages all over the world, almost every word in existence can translate to another language. That is impressive, especially considering different areas in the world have unique dialects. The United States is not just a melting pot in terms of all the types of people who live here. The English language is made up of words that started as the roots of other words from Latin and Greek. People are from all over the world, and that is reflected in our speech. On the West Coast, people “wait in line,” and on the East Coast, people “wait on line.” I’ve heard people in Indiana praise their accents over those in neighboring Kentucky. The world can feel small, but you can catch the subtle differences.

Words also speak about your education. Think of toddlers - at first, they can only say certain words as they need them. It is as far as their brains have developed. As time goes on, they learn how to string sentences together. By the time they are in high school and college, the way they talk says something about them. You might talk to your friends using slang, but it may not be appropriate to use slang when speaking to your boss or a teacher. The ability to differentiate between these two circumstances shows a command of language and an understanding of appropriateness.

We must be careful of what we say because words carry so much meaning. How many times have you said something thoughtlessly? Probably quite often because unlike term papers where words are chosen carefully, normal conversation does not always warrant much thought. I once had a friend talk to me about all that went wrong in her life. I kept saying “sorry” because I wanted to say something to comfort her. Instead, this upset her. She asked, “Why do you keep apologizing for things that are not your fault?” Saying “sorry” is meant to convey sympathy, but overuse can diminish the emotion behind the words. What you think is a casual remark could hurt someone else, and in turn, could shape their opinion of you.

Our location, education, and feelings are all conveyed in the words we speak and how we say them. That is why it is important to be yourself. People say you should think before you speak because you have no idea how much information is coded into every syllable. The next time you are out shopping or getting food, think of how you speak to the cashier or how they speak to you. You might earn more than you realize about communication if you pay attention.

Image: woodleywonderworks, Flickr