Music is good for your heart

I have known this for years, but now finally scientists are catching up and provides some hard evidence.

Scientists have discovered that joyful music is not only good for the soul, it’s also good for the heart. Listening to a cheerful favourite tune has a beneficial effect on blood vessels, widening them and protecting them against heart disease. Stressful or disturbing music, on the other hand, narrows the arteries and may be bad for the heart. The benefits of light music and love songs were even greater than that of laughter, the investigation showed.

After listening to joyful music, volunteers’ arteries opened 26 per cent wider on average during the cuff test than they did when no music was played. Playing music that participants said made them “anxious” caused the blood vessels to narrow by six per cent. In another phase of the study, laughing at comedy videos led to a 19 per cent increase in dilation, while “relaxation” sounds raised it by 11 per cent.

The findings were presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions meeting in New Orleans. Joyful music was thought to trigger the release of endorphins, brain chemicals linked to emotion that are known to induce feelings of well-being.

So there you go, another good reason for stopping by this site regularly!