Addiction has become a significant problem in our society, and music addiction is as real as drug addiction. In today’s generation, music is found in every part of our life; we cannot stay long hours without any music. It has become a matter of habit for us to listen to music frequently, even at the cost of our work and studies.
WHAT IS MUSIC?
So what is considered music? Music is an art, a way to express one’s emotion through different vocals and instrumental sounds, producing harmonic frequencies according to the cultural level of melody and rhythms.
- Did you know? According to National Geographic, vulture bone flute is the world’s classical musical instrument which is 40,000 year old.
Music has the ability to.
- Alter the way you perceive things
- Help to cope up with primal fear
- Aid in reducing seizures
- Improve your communication skills
- Help you become stronger
- Boost your immune system
- Aid in repairing brain damage
- Help in making you smarter
- Trigger memories
- Help in the recovery of Parkinson’s patients
HOW DOES MUSIC IMPACT HUMAN BRAIN AND HEALTH?
How does music affect a person’s brain? It is scientifically proven that music has the power to stimulate some parts of the human brain and affect our health. It also has the ability to influence our behaviour. The impact can be positive as well as negative, depending on how frequently you listen to it.
Advantages:
Some positive impacts on our mind and body involve:
- Music helps to improve your mood by promoting the brain to form certain chemicals.
- Music plays a role in reducing stress and anxiety by lowering the level of stress hormone.
- Music aids in the completion of repetitive tasks more efficiently.
- Music helps you refresh your happy moments, such as childhood memories.
- Music enables people to perform effectively under high-pressure.
- Music has the ability to enhance creativity by triggering the brain to think in abstract ways.
Disadvantages:
But if anything being used out of their limits can have its cons. same is the case with music, if we listen to music every time without controlling it within limits, it can affect our mind and body negatively, which involves;
- Loud music has the ability to damage the nerves in the brain.
- Listening to music every time can lead to the possibility of hearing loss.
- Music can make a person overly-emotional; for instance, if we listen to sad songs when we are upset, there is a higher possibility that we will become more depressed.
- Modern music can cause distraction and mild memory loss.
- Music has the ability to trigger unwanted thoughts, which may give rise to risky ideas.
Music also has the ability to alter your personality which can be either positive or negative, depending on the change.
HOW DOES MUSIC INFLUENCE TEENAGE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT?
The most powerful influence that music has is on teenagers. It affects how they perceive themselves and the world around them. Music plays a vital role in motivating and inspiring teenagers. Music plays a critical role in shaping the youth’s character and personality, which can be for the worst or the best.
Positive influence:
Choosing the right music and listening to it for a controlled amount of time can positively influence character development.
- Teenagers will develop a deeper understanding of things, such as they will easily understand the meaning behind poetic statements.
- They tend to develop discipline and excellent listening skills, which benefit them throughout.
- Music can influence the confidence and self-esteem greatly by making youth trust themselves and build a positive character.
- Surrounding yourself with uplifting music can make you a happier, empathetic, and generous person.
- Music has a great power that it can shape the youth into a more responsible and strong person.
- Songs help youth to develop a positive attitude towards people different from them.
- Music influences your learning and memory positively.
- Music helps you excel verbally and develop excellent interpersonal skills.
Negative influence:
Listening to songs and music containing misleading lyrics and meaning can have negative influences on character development.
- Death metals and raps tend to incite lots of aggression and frustration, which makes teenagers prone to fighting.
- Sad songs may influence the thoughts giving rise to negative thoughts within them and drive them more to the edge of suicide.
- Songs containing negative meaning can influence youngsters badly and encourage crime.
- Violent music can make youth emotionally confused and homicidal.
- Some music can give rise to abusive personalities in youths.
WHAT DOES ADDICTION MEAN?
The word addiction means the state in which a person addicted to a particular thing or activity. Addiction is a compulsive psychological need for something. It refers to a person’s dependency on a specific substance or activity. Addiction alters the brain by suppressing how it typically registers pleasure and corrupting other parts of the brain related to learning and motivation.
It involves:
- Extreme desire for something / habit-forming thing or activity
- Losing control over the use of that particular thing
- Repeated use of that thing in spite of harmful consequences
HOW MUSIC AND DRUGS ARE RELATED?
You guys are probably familiar with drugs, but what if I tell you have been downloading drugs from the internet. Drugs evoke a person’s deep emotional state, alter one’s behaviour drastically, and affect the way they perceive the world around them. Music has the same influence on our minds and personality.
Music has the ability to create drug-like effects in your brain. People turn to music for the sense of false security, just like the use of drugs, creates a sense of false happiness and pleasure.
Music addiction is as real as any drug addiction. Listening to music can trigger dopamine release when it creates an extremely positive emotional response, and the same process occurs when using drugs.
- According to recent studies, 40% of Americans claim to spend about 75% on music and other related items.
How are drugs linked with modern music?
Popular and modern music is full of lyrics glamorizing lavish lifestyles and wild adventures. These songs sustain a high amount of lyrics related to drug use, which causes teenagers to abuse drugs after listening to verses concerning chemical dependence to escape from reality or for the sake of adventure and exciting experiences.
- According to a recent study, almost half of the rap/ pop songs (47%) popular among youth have lyrics related to alcohol and drugs.
Music festivals have also played a part in promoting drug abuse. The use of drugs and alcohol is considered a significant part of such festivals. They use drugs to increase their pleasure and experience. A recent survey regarding music festivals showed:
- 75% of people drank alcohol
- 38% of people used marijuana
- Molly or ecstasy used by 13%
- 8% used mushrooms
- 8% used LSD
- 7% of them were using cocaine
- Opioids were used by 4% of them
YOUTH’S ADDICTION TO MUSIC:
Music is the most common drug that almost every youth is addicted to it. It has a tremendous toxic impact on the decision making of young people. Nowadays, youngsters are so addicted to music that their whole lifestyle is affected by music.
- Their music artists greatly influence the dress code of youth.
- Listening to music has become a habit for teenagers.
- They neglect their studies for the sake of music.
- They take song lyrics too seriously and tend to act upon them, which causes serious consequences.
- Nowadays, youth are so addicted to music that they ignore everything around them, including their families and friends, spending all their time on music.
Teenagers spend hours listening to music and songs on daily basis in which positive visuals about drinking and smoking are shown. The degree to which youths immerse themselves in these songs and music enhances their belief that tobacco and alcohol are positive. Youths highly indulged and addicted to music are also resistant to warnings.
SYMPTOMS OF MUSIC ADDICTION:
Let’s list some signs of music addiction to see how many of you consider yourself as music addicts:
- You always rely on music to overcome your emotions.
- You feel distressed, and your brain can not function properly without music.
- You can’t go without music, even for a few hours.
- You utilize all your time on music at the cost of your important tasks.
- You spend way too much on music related things like concerts, speakers and headphones.
- You ignore the world around you for the sake of music.
- Nothing makes you feel good other than music.
Parents and guardians of youngsters should pay more attention to them to check if they are going through any of the above symptoms and try to talk them out of it.
WAYS TO GET RID OF MUSIC ADDICTION:
It’s never too late to make things right. You can overcome the problem once you realize it. Here some steps to help you get rid of music addiction:
- The most important thing required to overcome music addiction is first to identify and realize your addiction.
- Get a pen and a paper. Note down every detail so that when you find it difficult, it will help you remember why you started in the first place.
- Pen down all the reasons for indulging in music, for instance, if you spend all the time on music because you find it challenging to express yourselves. The reason can be more than one.
- Become aware of your habit in order to overcome it. Track down how many hours you spend on music per day.
- Set your target. Make sure it set a realistic goal so that you will be able to achieve it easily without getting too stressed.
- Set new targets every time you reach your old targets. In this way, you will be able to reach your goal slowly and steadily.
- Try to get rid of all your music-related items like headphones and speakers.
- Leave your MP3 and other music-related items at home when you are out.
- Try to meditate on a daily basis to calm your mind and body.
- Try to get out more; interact, and socialize with people around you.
- Remember the pros and cons of listening to music.
- Try to participate in different art activities to reduce stress.
- Try to do something creative whenever you are free.
It is best to have a balanced life, so we should try to engage ourselves in a variety of stuff and interests to gain more knowledge and experience.
