The Power of Music

By Amy Price PhD

Music is a universal language. Music has been recognized as a source of motivation, inspiration and guidance for thousands of years. Prophets of old would call for musicians as they sought to define the future. Musical groups were sent out first to prepare armies for war and to calm people for peace. It is used in restaurants to mold our eating habits. Opulent music in places of class and fast loud music to generate eating speed in fast food establishments. Music tells stories of love and of anarchy. Even with no lyrics our brains are hardwired to pick up the signals. Animals can be encouraged to perform better with the right music and plants listening to music grow and prosper.


It is no surprise that music can frame our minds to produce our future and increase learning capacity. Science is showing that music can be specially formulated to increase ability for motor skills, language skills and creative capacity. Take a look at this post to see if music can be the next revolutionary in your life!

Motivation from the inside out

USA today reported that happy people live 17% longer. Laughter and humor is associated with better health mental and physical, more efficient learning and better choices. Most people in the city will influence 50 people on the way to work. This can have a knock on effect. Atmosphere matters, you have the power to create atmosphere and influence destiny. Think about the power you have rather than what has been taken from you. The way you think can deliver keys to your destiny.



Some reasons why include the way neurotransmitters in our brains work. Your brain was programmed to produce happy chemicals. Drugs sex and rock n roll are a poor and temporary
substitute.

Change Your Mind…Change Your Life

Recent experiments have shown that we become what we put our minds on. This is an ancient concept. In the book of Proverbs it states "As a man thinks in his heart so is he." Ancient philosophers saw the heart as the mind’s teacher. Recent science shows when people of any age exercise certain skills the brain connections grow to accommodate them. This is known as neural plasticity and can be explained by the adage neurons that fire together wire together. The neurons are like tree branches and they grow little buds called dendrites. The dendrites search for firing places and as they fire they strengthen brain connections.

Mental stimulation creates food for the dendrites so they can mate and produce strong paths. Example: Brains of London taxi drivers imaged by FMRI show growth in spatial areas which are related to finding the way to new areas. In another study participants were taught to play the violin and then asked to practice using only their thoughts. At the conclusion of the study their brains were imaged and it was found that in the area of the brain used to play music growth occurred.

Sports and business psychologists tell us that practicing in the mind produces similar results to doing. Thinking matters!
Zig Ziglar coined the phrase "Life is like the movies…You produce your own show."