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Although “Mozart Effect,” which made many mothers-to-be to buy Mozart CDs, turned out nothing real, growing numbers of researches do support music, especially playing the musical instruments improves your the brain functions. Many studies indicate children and adolescents who practice the musical instruments do better in school. The benefit of practicing the instruments does not stop there. A recent study published in American Psychological Association indicates that childhood music lessons could prevent or delay cognitive decline decades after they stopped practicing them.

Too bad that your mom did not give you the guitar you wanted, or your high school abolished music classes… Well, it may not be too late. According to Northwestern University researchers, music training is like that of physical training. You may not be a professional cyclist if you start riding a bike after 50 years old, but you still get a great cardiovascular benefit; so as playing music. In fact, if you are above 50s, there are more reasons to start practicing music. It is not only you can slow down cognitive declines, but also, if you keep practicing music, you will lower the chance of experiencing age-related changes in the hearing.

If you are still young, you should definitely pick up a music instrument. Other researches indicate that practicing music enhances your reading ability, verbal skills, and communication skills, and these skills are essential for work places, social life, and intimate relationship.

You may say that you don’t have time to start a new hobby. Then just listen to music. Research done at University of Amsterdam showed that if you are exposed to the variety of the music and listen them actively, you get significant benefits similar to that of trained musicians can get. Of course, the key is “active” listening. If you listen to music on an MP3 player as a background sound, you may not get an enough benefit, but if you do active listening, you get a tremendous benefit.

Of course, you need to be careful about listening to music through a headphone. According to Brigham and Woman’s Hospital study, one in five adolescents developed some hearing loss due to the music listening. Make sure that you don’t crank up the volume. Many people bring up the sound level to shut out the surrounding noises. If you are one of them, you may want to get a pair of noise-cancellation headphone, or an ear-plug type in-ear headphone. They cut the surrounding noises, and you can safely lower the sound level.

Which musical instrument should we learn? Well, it depends on you. If you had practiced any types of the musical instruments as a child, probably one of them is a good choice. If you have not touched any instruments before, a keyboard is the easiest instrument to start with. You can get a reasonable electric keyboard at a very affordable price. The recorder is good, too. It is cheap, and easy to start. If you think that it is a kid’s instrument, you are wrong. There are many great pieces of classical music written for the recorders, and some of them are quite challenging. You may want to avoid some types of the string instruments such as the violin. They are very challenging instruments, and you may give up even before you start enjoying the music. The guitar or the ukulele are OK, though still much harder than the keyboard instruments. Of course, there is Karaoke. Singing is also a very good music training. If you get good enough, you may want to apply to American Idol!

Sources
Musical Experience and the Aging Auditory System: Implications for Cognitive Abilities and Hearing Speech in Noise. PLoS ONE, 2011; 6
The relation between instrumental musical activity and cognitive aging.. Neuropsychology, 2011
The Impact of Music on Childhood and Adolescent Achievement. Social Science Quarterly, 2009; 90
Music training for the development of auditory skills. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, July 20, 2010
Northwestern University (2007, September 27). Music Training Linked To Enhanced Verbal Skills
Exposure influences expressive timing judgments in music. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Performance and Perception, DOI: 10.
Change in Prevalence of Hearing Loss in US Adolescents. JAMA The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2010

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You know you feel happy after watching a funny movie and laughing hard. It is not your imagination. Laughter actually brings physiological changes that positively affect your body.

Norman Cousins was the first, back in 1970s, to suggest that laughter has many health benefits. Following that announcement, many studies were done and scientists have found some very interesting results.

For example, researchers at Loma Linda University found that mirthful laughter helps optimize the hormone balance in the endocrine system to reduce stress. It also enhances the immune system and increases antibodies and T-cell activities which can kill tumor cells. Another study done at the University of Maryland found that laughter dilates arteries comparable to an aerobics workout (30-50% compared to those of stressed persons).

The latter study even suggested that people with some heart conditions perceive certain things less funny compared to healthier people. Researchers showed comedic films and asked the audience to rate how funny the movies were. They found that the ratings of these movies among people with heart problems was 40% lower than the ratings given by healthier viewers! So, if you are watching an old sitcom which you once thought was funny, but do not feel so anymore, you may want to see your doctor!

Another study done at the University of New South Wales shows that laughter is an effective medication for treating agitation in dementia. It may even prevent or delay the dementia. More than 20% of people over 85 have dementia – keep laughing!

Although it is good to laugh at funny TV programs or movies, it is far more effective to find something funny in our own daily lives. It is harder for many adults to find the fun and funny in everyday life. But watch young kids – they find almost everything to be either fascinating or funny. As we “grow up”, we are molded by society’s expectations which makes our thinking rigid. We need to reverse that! Pick up anything around you and think: “What is funny about this?” At first, you may not think of anything, but you can find or create something funny about it. If you practice this every day, eventually you find that almost everything you see has something to make you laugh, or at least smile. It doesn’t cost anything to make you happy and healthy!

The only potential negative effect of laughter is on appetite. Laughter increases appetite. This is actually good news for people who have lost their appetite due to depression or anorexia. However, in this world where the majority are overweight, this may not be a good thing. If you get together with your best friends over dinner, before you realize, you might eat three times more than you usually eat. (Yes, this happens every holiday season!). So watch out!

Now, what’s so funny about this article??

Sources
Laughter has positive impact on vascular function. European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2011, August
Body’s response to repetitive laughter is similar to the effect of repetitive exercise, study finds Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology 2010, April

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We often hear that being happy is the easiest way to being healthy. Scientific studies confirm this. A recent review of 8 different types of studies regarding happiness and well-being found that feeling positive about your life, rather than stressed out or depressed, is a major factor of longevity and better health among healthy people. The study admitted that although happiness itself may not prevent or cure diseases, it definitely promotes general health, and hence, longevity.

Many of us already know this, thank you, but how can we be happy all the time? Many people are “happy”, but not all the time. We get stressed out from work, we get depressed, we get angry, and we get pessimistic about the future.

There are millions of things suggested to stay “happy” most of the time, and it differs from one person to another. However, there are a few things we can all do easily:

First, many people are unable to shake off past regrets. This seems to be a major cause of unhappiness. According to one study done at Concordia University, inability to let go of regret negatively affects physical health. One reason people cannot get rid of regret is that we compare ourselves to others who appear much more well-off than us. As long as we compare them to us, the regret stays with us and we cannot move on. This study also showed that if we compare ourselves to someone who is worse-off than ourselves, we are able to forgo regret. Think about the 20,000+ people who died in the recent Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Can’t you feel how lucky you are? (Indeed, we are really lucky).

Second, many people are expecting something in the future to bring happiness. You think a certain thing will bring happiness to your life, but quite often it does not – even if you get it. According to a study done at the University of Liege in Belgium, people fail to recognize the key role played by their own personality when they try to determine future emotional reactions. In another words, knowing yourself well can bring happiness.

Third, help others. People who help others are happier than those who don’t. This doesn’t mean that you need to fly out to Africa to help children who lost their parents in civil wars. You just need to do something small – but often. For example, you can lend a hand if you see an older person is struggling to climb stairs or pick up trash and throw it in a trash bin.

Fourth, you should be “selfish.” Doesn’t this contradict to my third tip? That depends on how you define “selfish.” What I mean here is that you need to take care of yourself first. If you suffer a heart attack and are paralyzed, how you can help others? You would need lots of help which can make you miserable. Take care of your own health first, your finances, your relationships, your work. People who are in reasonable control of their lives are happier.

Fifth, don’t be a control freak! Researchers found that people who try to control everything tend to be aggressive toward others, and easily get frustrated and angry. Regardless of effort, there is so much that is beyond our control. If you feel angry towards others, you can never be happy.

Sixth, laugh. Do you know about India’s famous laughing lunch meetings? People get together and just laugh. They believe that laughing is good for the health. Indeed, according to a University of Leeds study, laughing stimulates blood flow in the body and accelerates healing. And it makes you happy, too!

Sources
Happy People Live Longer: Subjective Well-Being Contributes to Health and Longevity. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 2011
Making Up for Lost Opportunities: The Protective Role of Downward Social Comparisons for Coping With Regrets Across Adulthood. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2011; 37 (2): 215
Personality Neglect: The Unforeseen Impact of Personal Dispositions on Emotional Life. Psychological Science, 2010; 21 (12): 1783
Grapes of Wrath: The Angry Effects of Exerting Self-Control. Journal of Consumer Research, October 2011

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It is reported that one in three people in the US experiences some sort of mental disorder, such as anxiety attacks or depression, during their lifetime and it seems that those incidents have been increasing in the last few decades. Is there a connection in the US between our increasingly obese population and the growth of mental disorders? Although there has not yet been a direct study measuring this correlation, there are studies indicating that exercise can reduce anxiety and depression.

According to a University of Georgia study, people who work out more than 30 minutes daily feel less anxiety than those who remain sedentary. Improvements also can be observed among people suffering from depression. Researchers at Southern Methodist University in Dallas also reported that 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise reduced depression levels.

Is one type of workout better than others? A long steady cardio workout is generally a good choice, since it can turn on the “feel-good” endorphin hormone. (Yes, endorphin concentration is highest after a 30-minute workout.) However, researchers have also found that yoga and t’ai chi are excellent forms of anxiety killers.

It is well known that the level of gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) in the brain is a strong indicator of depression or anxiety. Since regular yoga practitioners report low rates of depression, Boston University researchers compared GABA levels between those yoga practitioners and non-participants. They found GABA levels to be much higher among yoga practitioners and after only 12 weeks of practice.

T’ai chi is also traditionally known [throughout Asia] to reduce anxiety and depression, and to promote feelings of well-being. Although there have been modern scientific studies relating t’ai chi with psychological effects, none of these were conclusive.Recently, however, researchers at Tufts Medical center collected more than 40 related studies and compared the results to find that ¡t’ai chi does in fact appear to have positive psychological benefits.

The body and the mind are not separate entities and we need to take care of both. Isn’t it great to know that “physical” improvements can also improve our mental health?

Source:
The Effect of Exercise Training on Anxiety Symptoms Among Patients: A Systematic Review. Arch Intern Med, 2010; 170 (4): 321-331

Southern Methodist University (2010, April 6). Mental health providers should prescribe exercise more often for depression, anxiety, research suggests.

Anxiety, and Brain GABA Levels: A Randomized Controlled MRS Study. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2010

Tai Chi on psychological well-being: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2010; (in press)

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In the previous blog, I mentioned that being happy is great for our health, and mentioned a couple of things we can do. I thought it might be nice to continue this theme.

First, let’s think about how to spend our money to be happy. Can we buy happiness with money? Well, many people think so, but there are big differences depending on what you buy. One study indicated that when people pay for experiences such as a massage or family vacation, they are much happier than when they buy material things such as a big-screen TV or a car. They were happy when buying the TV, but the happiness wore off pretty quickly, compared to those purchasing the experiences (that often can be relived in memories).

My second tip is much simpler. Just look up! When you ask your friend questions, did you notice that she tends to look up? The eyes and the brain are intimately related, and when we try to remember the past, we tend to look upward left. A couple of researchers looked deeper and found that physical movements accompanying thoughts significantly affect emotions! For example, when considering your senior year of high school, if you move your head upward, you tend to remember a positive memory. On the other hand, if you move your head downward, you tend to recall a negative memory.

This means that if you want to feel happy, create an upward physical motion, such as looking up or standing up, and think of a happy experience from the past. This puts you into a happy state. No wonder people raise their arms when they get excited at sporting events!

Source: The relative relativity of material and experiential purchases.. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2010; 98 (1): 146
Motor action and emotional memory. Cognition, 2010; 115 (1): 179

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