Music is all around us. It is a mainstay of our society and is inherent in the souls of our beings. Several studies report lowered levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) after music listening ( reviewed in 13 ). As prolonged high cortisol levels and accompanying chronic stress are connected, for example, to high blood pressure and heart disease, music listening could be an effortless and enjoyable way to maintain health.
Future studies, incorporating large-scale data collection of physiological and behavioral markers of performance in real-life situations and environments alongside lab investigations will also be able to shed light on why music might help and even provide physical and cognitive enhancement in different situations.
Ubiquitous in the daily cycle of tribal activity and in the year and life cycles of typical societies, music became in the twentieth century a significant part of the arsenal of cultural survival and revival, and …