Added: Sep 19, 2023
In this episode of the Huberman Lab Podcast, Andrew Huberman discusses the relationship between music and the brain. He explains that music is a neurological phenomenon that activates nearly every part of the brain when we listen to it. Music not only evokes emotions, but it also implies intent and can even evoke empathy within us.Huberman highlights the fact that music evolved prior to spoken language and that singing and dancing are fundamental forms of human communication. Even babies as young as three months old respond to music with rhythmic movements of their limbs and torso. This suggests that our body's neural circuits for movement are intimately tied to the neural circuits that respond to music.
Listening to music also has physiological effects on our bodies. Studies have shown that listening to music for 10 to 30 minutes per day can increase heart rate variability, which is beneficial for mental and physical health. Huberman explains that this effect is not directly caused by the music itself, but rather through changes in breathing patterns that occur while listening to music.
Furthermore, music has the power to increase motivation. When we listen to music, it activates pre-motor and motor circuits in our brain and body, which are responsible for mobilizing our body and initiating movement. This is why many people listen to music while working out or to get themselves motivated. Huberman suggests a protocol of listening to 10 to 30 minutes of favorite music per day to increase motivation.
The frontal cortex, the part of the brain behind the forehead, plays a crucial role in processing music. It is responsible for understanding context, inhibiting inappropriate actions, and making predictions. When we listen to music, the frontal cortex is activated as it predicts what we will hear next based on what we are currently hearing.
Huberman also discusses the relationship between music and learning. He explains that music can enhance learning and memory by activating neural circuits involved in attention, emotion, and reward. Music can also be used to enhance brain plasticity, which is the brain's ability to change in response to experience. By using music as a tool, we can expand our capacity for learning in other areas of life.
Huberman describes how music activates various brain circuits, including the prediction machinery in the frontal cortex, circuits associated with novelty and reward, circuits related to emotion and arousal, and circuits involved in memory encoding and retrieval. He also mentions the basal ganglia and the cerebellum, which are responsible for regulating movement and rhythmic timing.
When it comes to using music for motivation, Huberman explains that listening to faster music, typically with a cadence of 140 to 150 beats per minute or faster, can predispose us to be more motivated to move. This is because the music activates premotor circuits in the brain, creating a propensity for action. He suggests listening to faster music prior to exercising or engaging in any physical activity to enhance motivation.
In terms of using music for cognitive work, Huberman recommends working in silence or with instrumental music in the background. He explains that listening to music with lyrics, especially familiar songs, can compete with our comprehension of the material we're trying to learn, leading to decreased cognitive performance. However, he notes that listening to music with lyrics in between bouts of cognitive work can enhance focus and concentration when we return to the task.
Huberman also discusses the use of binaural beats, which are different frequencies of beats presented to each ear, to enhance concentration and focus. He mentions that 40 Hz binaural beats have been shown to improve cognitive performance, but other frequencies may have different effects.
When it comes to using music to shift mood and process emotions, Huberman explains that certain types of music can evoke specific emotional states. Faster music tends to make us feel happier, especially when it's in a major key and contains lyrics about positive events. However, even music with nonsensical lyrics or instrumental music can evoke the same increase in happiness if it has a fast cadence.
Huberman also mentions that listening to music in the breaks between cognitive tasks can enhance focus and learning when we return to the work. He suggests experimenting with different types of music and silence to find what works best for individual preferences and needs.
Huberman continues by explaining that music has a profound impact on our emotional state. He notes that certain types of music, particularly those with a fast tempo and uplifting melodies, have the ability to shift our mood from negative to positive. These "party songs" or uplifting tunes are often one-hit wonders that are effective in making people feel better while and after listening to them. Huberman also mentions the emergence of AI technology being used to generate new songs based on the rules of how music impacts the brain. He suggests that AI-generated music may have the potential to create the best music we've ever heard and further enhance our emotional states.
The podcast delves into the effects of music on mood, specifically how happy music can make us feel happier and sad music can help us process feelings of sadness. Huberman explains that happy music, characterized by a faster tempo and lyrics that are not necessarily meaningful, can shift our mood to a heightened level of happiness. On the other hand, sad music, typically slower in tempo and activating the corrugator muscles of the forehead, can help us process somber feelings and move past sadness. He emphasizes the importance of balancing pessimism about AI-generated music with an open-mindedness, as neuroscience is teaching us how the brain responds to music and how this knowledge can be used to generate stimuli that shift our brain into more positive states.
The podcast also explores the physiological effects of music on the body. Huberman discusses how listening to music can relax the muscles in the face, particularly the brow, and induce a state of relaxation. He explains that different frequencies and cadences of sound can evoke specific facial expressions, such as the "bass face" that occurs when listening to low-frequency tones played with some distance between them. These facial expressions are linked to the activation of pre-motor and motor circuits in the brain and body.
Huberman goes on to discuss the use of music in reducing anxiety. He highlights a study that found listening to a specific song called "Weightless" by Marconi Union can reduce anxiety by up to 65%. This reduction in anxiety was comparable to the effects of a commonly prescribed benzodiazepine. He suggests that listening to this song for just three minutes can be an effective way to reduce anxiety and recommends keeping it readily available for moments of anxiety.
The podcast also touches on the benefits of learning to play a musical instrument and singing. Huberman explains that learning an instrument, especially at a young age, can enhance brain connectivity and facilitate other forms of neuroplasticity and learning. He emphasizes that even listening to music, particularly novel forms of music, can expand the brain's capacity for neuroplasticity and improve learning and comprehension.
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