You hear it while you’re getting a massage, while you’re on hold with a billing department, and while your car is being repaired. Classical music is often used to calm us, and research is showing that music may have the potential to heal us. Now, scientists in China have delved into the brain to discover the mechanism by which musical sound waves affect our minds and our moods.
Previous work by investigators around the world shows that music evokes emotions in the brain. Researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University recently investigated how listening to music—specifically, Western classical music—can affect a circuit within the brain and lead to lessened depression. Their findings hold promise—but not yet a cure—for those living with depression.
