Maintaining a Good Rhythm
Today’s theme is about change and how transformative experiences can shape our lives in unexpected ways. I want to share a personal story about how music changed my brain and explore the deeper connection between personal quests and musical journeys.
Music Changed Me
When I was an adolescent, like many of my friends, I listened to the popular rock-and-roll music of the time. One day, I came into possession of a compact disc the Gorrilaz, an English virtual band created in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. I had never had a CD before and had no idea what to expect. Good fortune labeled me a winner of a raffle, and I got to choose a prize. The CD cover of four characters made in Punk Visual Art drew me in, and this is what I heard:
The Gorillaz — Feel Good Inc.
I still get chills when I hear this. Back then, at age 13, a gentle knocking came to my mind. I had never heard anything like it. New vibrations were finding new sensations in me and my spine ran, and I felt goosebumps. The best way to explain the feeling is more complex than a black hole swallowing light. This moment changed me, little me! Talk about guiding vibes. It gave me a focus and a passion for understanding and creating music. Art thereafter mattered more to me. Art opened an experience, an awesome one. So I looked for more.
Music has been a part of human history for millennia. For example, an ancient flute from the Upper Paleolithic period, about 35,000 to 40,000 years ago, was found in a cave in what is now Germany. Despite the harsh living conditions under glaciers, these early humans devoted energy and resources to create musical instruments, highlighting the power and importance of music in their survival.
This fascination with music led me to explore how it affects the brain. Various laboratories worldwide, like the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest in Toronto led by Dr. Claude Alain, have dissected neural pathways involved in music perception and production. Musical training fine-tunes these brain circuits to a remarkable degree, enhancing both auditory and motor systems. This video, courtesy of YouTube’s wonderful search bar, shows the precision of a violinist’s bow movements:
CZARDAS — by Vittorio Monti
Look at the perfect overlap of movements; theway they thin the wires into a tune is a spectacle. This level of precision is the result of brain changes induced by musical training, as predicted by Santiago Ramón y Cajal in 1904. He hypothesized that brain anatomy could change with training, a concept we’ve confirmed through various studies.
Santiago Ramón y Cajal
Interestingly, musical training increases the thickness of the cortex in areas related to auditory and motor functions, and the frontal cortex is involved in higher-order cognitive functions. The degree of change is linked to the age at which training begins, highlighting the brain’s plasticity during early development. This change helps explain why early musical experiences, like mine at age 13, can be so impactful.
But what about the emotional aspect of music? How does it bring us pleasure? The answer lies in the brain’s reward system, particularly the striatum. This system, which activates in response to essential survival stimuli like food and sex, also responds to pleasurable music. Even though music is not a chemical substance or necessary for survival, it engages the reward system similarly.
In experiments conducted by the most prestigious neurological institutes in the world, we have found that the more people value a piece of music, the more active their reward system becomes. This response links the cortical areas responsible for sound perception with the emotional and reward regions of the brain, demonstrating music’s unique power to fuse cognitive and emotional experiences.
This brings us to the lyrics of U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” which beautifully captures the essence of an ongoing quest for fulfillment. The narrator describes climbing mountains, running through fields, and scaling city walls in search of something elusive. Despite experiencing profound love and spiritual encounters, the quest remains unresolved:
“I have climbed the highest mountains. I have run through the fields, Only to be with you, Only to be with you.
But I still haven’t found What I’m looking for.”
This continuous search for meaning and purpose mirrors the transformative journey that music can inspire. Just as the narrator believes in the coming of the Kingdom and the merging of all colors into one, my journey with music led me to integrate science and art, finding deeper understanding and fulfillment along the way.
For those seeking to embrace life’s challenges and find resilience, consider reading this article. Additionally, you might find inspiration in this journey of growth and love or learn to rise above negativity in this piece.
As discussed in this article, combining personal growth with psychological insights can propel progress. This resource offers valuable insights for those interested in leveraging healthy self-dialogue for personal growth.
In conclusion, whether through music, personal quests, or the integration of science and art, the journey of change is ongoing and deeply transformative. By embracing these experiences, we can continue to grow and find new dimensions of fulfillment.
Join the conversation: Share your experiences and insights in the comments. How have you navigated through life’s challenges? What strategies have helped you build resilience? Let’s support each other on this journey.
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