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The Mind, Music, and Behavior

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The Mind, Music, and Behavior
The Mind, Music, and Behavior

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The main purpose of the paper is to investigate and present the relationship between the mind, music, and human behavior. For this purpose, research is presented on previous works and studies that link music with the mind. Based on this research, music increases neurotransmitter levels. Soft or mellow music has a tendency to promote tranquillity, while music with tempo sometimes distracts.
Human memories can be cued by music, and music can promote improved learning.

The brain is a two and a quarter pound piece of living organic tissue that controls the human nervous system. Music is a collection of sound waves that propagate through the air, and has varying frequencies and tones following a discernible order. Yet we all recognize the significance of the brain beyond its physical function. Our minds are the essence of what we are. The brain enigmatically stores memories, and lets people experience such things as emotion, sensations, and thoughts. In the same sense, music is more than just a collection of vibrations. This leads to the question of how does music affect the mind, and in addition, how does music affect human behavior? The reader might ask why such a question should be relevant. If more is known about the psychological and neurophysiological effects of music on the human mind, then the possibilities of this knowledge are unbounded. Music can be used to treat social and behavioral problems in people with disabilities. The use of music in the classroom might enhance or weaken a student's work characteristics.
Therefore, whether the influence of music is positive or negative, much needs to be explored about the link between the mind and music.

Physiologically, the brain receives information about sound waves from the ear through the auditory nerve. This information is then processed by the brain and analyzed for the juxtaposition of melody and rhythm. The mixture of melody and rhythm is what we commonly refer to as



References: Balch, William R., Kelley Bowman, and Lauri A. Mohler. (1992). "Music-dependent Memory in Immediate and Delayed Word Recall." Memory and Cognition, 20, pp Becker, Nancy, Catherine Chambliss, Cathy Marsh, and Roberta Monetmayor. (1995). Blood, Deborah J., and Stephen J. Ferriss. (1993). "Effects of Background Music on Anxiety, Satisfaction with Communication, and Productivity." Psychological McLaughlin, T. F., and J. L. Helm. (1993). "Use of Contingent Music to Increase Academic Performance of Middle-School Students." Psychological Reports, 72, p. Ogata, Shigeki. (1995). "Human EEG Responses to Classical Music and Simulated White Noise: Effects of a Musical Loudness Component on Consciousness." Perrewe, Pamela L., and Richard W. Mizerski. (1987). "Effect of Music on Perceptions of Task Characteristics." Perceptual Motor Skills, 65, pp Russel, P. A. (1987). "Memory for Music: A Study of Musical and Listener Factors." The British Journal of Psychology, 78, pp Schreiber, Elliott H. (1988). "Influence of Music on College Students ' Achievement." Perceptual Motor Skills, 66, p Smith, S. M. (1985). "Background Music and Context Dependent Memory." American Journal of Psychology, 6, pp Sogin, David W. (1988). "Effects of Three Different Musical Styles of Background Music on Coding by College-Age Students." Perceptual Motor Skills, 67, pp Vanderark, Sherman D., and Daniel Ely. (1993). "Cortisol, Biochemical, and Galvanic Skin Responses to Music Stimuli of Different Preference Values by Wallace, Wanda T. (1994). "Memory for Music: Effect of Melody on Recall of Text." Journal of Experimental Psychology, 20, pp Yalch, Richard F. (1991). "Memory in a Jingle Jungle: Music as a Mnemonic Device in Communicating Advertising Slogans." Journal of Applied Psychology, 76, pp. Microsoft Bookshelf 1995. CD-ROM. United States: Columbia University Press, 1995 Microsoft Encarta 1995

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