“One good thing about music: when it hits you, you feel no pain.” – Bob Marley

Studies have shown that Bob Marley was actually right about this. Listening to music does, in fact, help ease pain.

But the benefits don’t stop there! We’re listing ten important benefits you get from the pleasure of just listening to music. And best of all─no particular genre of music is better than another–it’s what YOU like!

1) Music Reduces Pain (like Bob Marley said!)

Many recent studies have shown this to be true. In one study, patients undergoing spine surgery were divided into two groups. One group was instructed to listen to music they enjoyed on the evening before surgery up until two days after surgery. When pain levels were measured post-surgery, the group who listened to music reported significantly less pain than the control group who didn’t listen to music.

2) Music Lifts Spirits and Rekindles Positive Memories

Happy music promotes happy thoughts. Upbeat and light music will almost always lift your spirits.

3) Music Reduces Stress and Anxiety

Classical compositions seem to have particularly calming effects. Studies show that listening to music calms your heart rate and can even lower blood pressure.

4) Music Improves Memory

Scientific evidence has proven that music can help people improve memory function.

5) Music Promotes Positive Outlook

Music enhances moods and increases positive emotions.

6) Music Keeps Your Brain Healthy

Johns Hopkins researchers discovered that listening to music gives people a “total brain workout,” and is an excellent way to keep your brain agile as you get older.

7) Music Improves Sleep

Research has shown that listening to 45 minutes of relaxing music before going to bed can help you sleep better.

8) Music Boosts Your Immune System

Studies have found that listening to music increases the level of antibodies that help prevent infections and increases immune cells that fight bacteria and cancer cells.

9) Music Reduces Depression

Adults who regularly listen to music are less likely to be depressed.

10) Music Helps You Get Better Exercise

Research backs up what athletes have known for a long time: music helps you exercise at a higher level and for a longer period of time.

Today, there are more ways than ever to enjoy your favorite music:

Old fashioned record-player turntable

If you have some favorites on old LP’s, those have made a comeback! You can get a simple record player now at Target, WalMart, etc. So dust off those old favorite albums and give them a spin!

CD player

If CD’s are more your style, get a CD player if you don’t have one. They’ve become inexpensive. While CD’s are getting harder to find in stores, you can find almost any music on www.Amazon.com.

Cable TV

Most basic cable TV packages include channels that play a certain genre of music. If you have cable, you probably have a channel that plays jazz, one that plays country, one that plays oldies, etc. Find out what yours offers!

YouTube

If you haven’t poked around www.YouTube.com yet, you’ll be amazed how many live performances of your favorite artists are preserved there.

iPod

If you have an iPod, you can load up your favorite songs from itunes.

Streaming music over your smartphone or computer

If you want unlimited music at your fingertips, have a smartphone (or computer), and don’t mind paying a monthly fee (around $10), then you can subscribe to a streaming service. The most popular one is Spotify, where you can listen to a library of over 30 million songs. (Yes, that was 30 million!) You can listen any time and as much as you want. You’ll need to either download the songs you want to listen to, or be on a Wi-Fi connection while listening, in order to not gobble up your phone’s data.

Listen Up!

Music not only feeds the soul, it also decreases pain, lifts your spirits, and improves your health. So put on your favorite music, and enjoy!