TakeLessons Explores the Benefits of Music in Everyday Life

Online, December 5, 2011 (Newswire.com) - In a world where Ke$ha's "Tik Tok" single has sold more copies than any Beatles single, you may have concerns about where the music industry is headed these days. But as it turns out, club hits like that may be the perfect antidote to warding off that winter cold.

TakeLessons (http://takelessons.com), the nation's fastest growing music lessons provider, explored this topic on the TakeLessons blog, showing readers just how music can help in one's everyday life.

Most music fans have heard all about the Mozart effect, the increased math scores that come from music programs in school, and the positive attributes to music therapy for brain-damaged patients. But science has also proven that the benefits can extend to daily activities - just a daily dose of listening to music may be just what the doctor ordered.

The following is an excerpt from the blog post, as originally published on Lifehacker.com:

"Boosting Your Immune System
The idea that listening to music can boost your immune system might sound a little crazy on the surface, but the science backs it up. Soothing music is known to decrease stress, and when it does that, it decreases the level of the stress hormone cortisol. It's not just soothing music though, even upbeat dance music is known to increase the level of antibodies in your system. Dr. Ronny Enk, who lead the recent research about music's effect on the immune system suggests, "We think the pleasant state that can be induced by music leads to special physiological changes which eventually lead to stress reduction or direct immune enhancement."

Now that the cold season has set in, it's a good idea to keep this in mind throughout the day. If you're feeling stressed out or if you're starting to feel ill, listening to music might be the extra help you need to stay well.

Fighting Fatigue & Increasing Productivity
The effect of using music to increase productivity is still inconclusive, even though a few studies were done on the subject. Regardless, it certainly doesn't hurt, and it seems the best option might be to use music without words so it doesn't affect the language parts of your brain. The theory is similar to using upbeat music to amp up your workouts, as faster music might keep you and your brain working hard.

That said, if you have a monotonous job, music is a great way to increase your mood while performing boring work. For the same reason it helps with exercising, it can also help with fighting fatigue, especially if you change up the music often. Studies have also shown that almost all music increases your mood, because it causes a release of dopamine, so if you're feeling tired, bored, or depressed, a good pop song might be the cure you need. (Feel better about Ke$ha now?)"

By sharing the news with blog readers, TakeLessons hopes to continue engaging current students and help with any musical goals they may have. Readers are invited to share their thoughts by commenting on the TakeLessons blog, where guitar players can also learn about their most important tool, and comments are also welcomed on Facebook (http://facebook.com/takelessons).