Maybe you are just taking a walk out on the streets and you notice some people roaming around with their headphones, probably dancing with their heads, or moving certain parts of their bodies rhythmically as they become deeply engrossed in what they’re listening to. You become curious about how good that feels right? Well it’s obvious that some people often use headphones or earpiece in public for their own personal reasons and not for music but my guess is, from the reactions of most people, you might be able to tell if they are listening to music or not especially if you focus more on those tiny little gestures they make in the process.
Did you know that music has that powerful effect of instantly stirring up your emotions? If you face a disappointment for example and then you suddenly fell into a bad mood, a good music can lift up your spirits and make you feel better. From the other hand, I am also trying to tell you that you don’t have to watch a puppy starving to death, or a bleeding cat lying flat by the roadside before you feel all emotional and teary. You can try playing an emotional song and experiment with the effects it’s going to have on you. For those whom are already into music, you’d probably understand what I mean here.
Music is very popular across the whole world and in every culture just that it differs in nature. Every culture has its own unique way with music thus contributing toward the diversity we have in it. Did you know that making or listening to music releases a chemical known as ‘dopamine’ in the brain? This chemical is also casually called the ‘feel good’ chemical which has that powerful effects of making you feel good, super excited or elated. Now this pleasure and excitement that you feel, is exactly what we call ‘euphoria’.
‘Euphoria’ is just a term used to describe a state of excitement and happiness experienced by a person. Anything that induces euphoria is known to be very addictive be it drugs, drinks, or music, they all are addictive because they have the power to activate our brain’s reward system. Just like how you feel when you become the newly appointed chairperson in your organization, or maybe when you achieve all your goals for the day, the brain activates its reward system to reward your efforts and make you feel good right? Now that pattern of effects is similarly recorded when you make music or listen to it.
To talk about the addiction in music, it’s only fair to conclude that it is also highly addictive in its own way. Moreover, it is quite difficult to stop being addicted to something that induces feelings of euphoria and unlike the awful negative side-effects you get when using addictive illegal drugs like heroine to feel good and high, I’d say music is on the safe side as an inducer of euphoria.
Writer: Karima Shehu
Penned 29/11/19
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