Music To Our Ears: Music Increases Memory and Even Makes You Feel Happier

Scientists have uncovered new links to show how music affects humans in terms of body, mind and behaviours.

A report combined the work of Dr David Lewis of Mindlab International with research of 3,000 respondents in the UK, Germany and Hungary.

Music increases you memory and even makes you feel happier

It covers 10 different reactions to music, including increasing memory function, feelings of happiness and the power to slow or speed up someone’s heart rate. The research found six in 10 respondents across Europe report feeling lower than ever during the global pandemic.

And 72 per cent believe music has helped them get through a difficult time in their lives. Informed by research from Dr David Lewis, Sony, has created two new visual representations of how powerful music can impact us physically and emotionally.

The videos portray the ways in which high and low tempo music, coupled with omnidirectional sound and lighting features, affects our bodies and the objects around us. 

Claire Poux, marketing category head, V&S at Sony UK & Ireland, said: “We can all think back to a moment in our lives where music has played an integral role."

“From nursery rhymes as children to our wedding day dance song; it evokes feelings and memories, taking us on a journey.

“2020 has been a tough year for us all, we wanted to create this report and video to demonstrate how powerful music is, inspiring more people to use it as a tool for positivity in their lives.”

The two videos are designed to be watched in order, showing how the body reacts to music with the science of cymatics demonstrating how omni-directional soundwaves influence paint, sand and liquid to the beat in an erratic but mesmerising way.

Watched first, 'Tails' by Jack Chown at The Music Lab is designed to evoke melancholic feelings. Following this with 'Gutenmorgen', from the same artist, is designed to re-energise and evoke happiness with its higher tempo.

THE TAIL

GUTENMORGEN

Dr David Lewis of Mindlab International added: “Sad music can help us through tough times. The most intense emotional responses, whether of happiness or sadness, were found to occur when one tune contrasts emotionally with that heard immediately before it."