--- title: Music Health Benefits: 5 Reasons Why Music is Good for You description: Next time you’re preparing for a work presentation or studying for something, listen to a little Vivaldi or Bach canonical: https://time.com/3603713/music-health-benefits/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-11-27T19:00:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T02:20:50.508Z article:section: Health og:title: 5 Science-Backed Reasons Why Music is Good for You og:description: Next time you’re preparing for a work presentation or studying for something, listen to a little Vivaldi or Bach og:url: https://time.com/3603713/music-health-benefits/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3147fee3cabc88e1/69876ab706f2c107953326f4/music-note.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: music og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 5 Science-Backed Reasons Why Music is Good for You twitter:description: Next time you’re preparing for a work presentation or studying for something, listen to a little Vivaldi or Bach twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3147fee3cabc88e1/69876ab706f2c107953326f4/music-note.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 5 Science-Backed Reasons Why Music is Good for You by [Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Health.com Nov 27, 2014 7:00 PM UTC  Treble clef, close-up (toned B&W) Treble clef, close-up (toned B&W)Getty Images by [Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Health.com Nov 27, 2014 7:00 PM UTC Music is a powerful medium: Not only does it make us want to [jump](http://www.health.com/health/video/0,,20732139,00.html) to our feet and “shake it off, shake it off” (thanks [Taylor Swift](http://news.health.com/2014/10/29/5-ways-to-tell-if-someone-is-emotionally-unavailable/)), but soul-stirring tunes also can help us fight through myriad health challenges as well. Here are five great reasons to pump up the jams, and listen with intent: **It can help ease pain** Feeling achy? A study conducted in the journal _Frontiers in Psychology_ found that when [fibromyalgia](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20345635,00.html) patients were exposed to 10-minutes of music they liked—anything from pop to folk to classical—that was slower than 120 beats per minute, they [experienced less pain](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3920463/) versus when they listened to [pink noise](http://simplynoise.com/). The participants also saw an increase in their mobility with the music. **HEALTH.COM:** [7 Tricks for Instant Calm](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20321332,00.html) **It could help you focus** Next time you’re preparing for a work presentation or studying for something, listen to a little Vivaldi or Bach. A 2007 study from the Stanford University School of Medicine found that tuning into [music from the late baroque period](http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2007/07/music-moves-brain-to-pay-attention-stanford-study-finds.html), leads to changes in the brain (recorded by an fMRI scan) that help with [attention and storing events into memory](http://www.cell.com/neuron/abstract/S0896-6273%2807%2900500-4). **It elevates workout performance** We all know that bopping to Beyoncé can be a lifesaver during that cardio kickboxing class, but did you know it could also be the key to successfully sweating through those unbelievably grueling high-intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions, too? Researchers had 20 active adults perform two interval workouts—four, 30-second “all-out” cycling sprints with four minutes of rest in between—one with [music](http://news.health.com/2014/09/30/science-proves-it-you-do-get-a-better-workout-with-music/) and one without. Those who sweated to beats not only [found the interval training much more enjoyable](http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Abstract/publishahead/Music%5FEnhances%5FPerformance%5Fand%5FPerceived%5FEnjoyment.97936.aspx), but it also revved them up, making them exercise harder, too. **HEALTH.COM:** [10 Mood-Boosting Meals](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20351257,00.html) **It cheers you up** As we creep into the colder months, those [winter blues](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20309270,00.html) have a way of raining on our happiness parade. Luckily, music is a proven spirit saver. According to a 2011 study published in the journal _Nature Neuroscience,_ certain [classical tunes caused folks to get the chills](http://www.mni.mcgill.ca/media/news/item/?item%5Fid=170538), which in turn led to the [release of dopamine](http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/v14/n2/full/nn.2726.html), a chemical in the brain that can help you feel jollier. To reap this mood-boosting benefit, download “[Clair de Lune](http://www.zlab.mcgill.ca/emotion/),” by Claude Debussy, “New World Symphony—Movement 4,” by Antonin Dvorak, and “First Breath After Coma” by Alexander Keats—they have all been scientifically proven to keep you in good cheer. **It can keep you calm** Switching to mellow music during a stressful drive may prevent road rage and even help you drive better, according to a 2013 study in the journal _Ergonomics._ Researchers found that upbeat music made people happy, but as soon as the drive became demanding, an abrupt dial change to [more soothing tunes](http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00140139.2013.825013#.VGJNat6cPWF) kept study participants calmer and boosted driving ability better than those who didn’t change the station as quickly. **HEALTH.COM:** [12 Worst Habits For Your Mental Health](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20866947,00.html) [_This article originally appeared on Health.com._](http://news.health.com/2014/11/11/5-science-backed-reasons-why-music-is-good-for-you/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3603713/music-health-benefits/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3603713/music-health-benefits/"},"headline":"5 Science-Backed Reasons Why Music is Good for You","datePublished":"2014-11-27T19:00:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T02:20:50.508Z","description":"Next time you’re preparing for a work presentation, crank up the Bach","url":"https://time.com/3603713/music-health-benefits/","keywords":["Research","Music","Stress","Happiness","advice"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3147fee3cabc88e1/69876ab706f2c107953326f4/music-note.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Health.com","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/health-com/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3147fee3cabc88e1/69876ab706f2c107953326f4/music-note.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"music","caption":"music","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/research/","name":"Research"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3603713/music-health-benefits/","name":"5 Science-Backed Reasons Why Music is Good for You"}}]}] ```