Listening to music is introduced to us at a young age, from parents singing their kids nursery rhymes and silly songs to the music we listen to in the car. In my life, every night I was put to sleep with music, so now even though I’m a senior in high school I still can’t fall asleep without listening to music. I also can not focus without it, so in order to read for English class I’m always blasting music to keep me on track.

Your brain is a muscle just like your biceps, they need to be worked out in order to be healthy. Listening to music is one of the best brain work outs you can participate in. Scientists have done research and found that music can help decrease anxiety, lower blood pressure and even help reduce pain. At the same time it increases memory, mental alertness, and your mood and sleep quality.

While we are listening one of our favorite songs, our brains are releasing dopamine and serotonin. Both of these are feel good chemicals which are like a reward to our brains. Due to this music can increase our mood, it can make us happy, calm, relaxed, pumped up, and many more.

Music affects our brains so much that our brains have started to affect music. Our mindset and what we are feeling can also change how we feel about the music. Whether you are crying alone in your bedroom the morning after a break up or screaming the same song on the bus trying to get pumped up before the biggest game of your life, the same song can have a different impact because our brains have learned how to affect music.

Did you know the type of music you listen to most is linked to personality traits? There was a study done and published in the research article “Individual Differences in Music Taste.”

Pop: you could be an extravert, honest, with a high self esteem but also less creative and uneasy

Rap and Hip Hop: you might have high self esteem and easy going.

Country music: you may be a hard worker and maybe even traditional. Country songs may be about heart break most of the time but if you listen to country you are probably more emotionally stable compared to other genres.

Rock and Heavy Metal: you might actually be quiet, gentle  and definitely creative, though you might have a low self esteem and be introverted.

Indie: you could be introverted but very intellectual as well as creative. Though the studies did show that these music fans can tend to be less gentle, less hardworking, as well as high anxiety and low self esteem.

Dance Music: you may be out going and assertive as well as very open to experience, but very low on gentleness.

Classical: there is a chance that you are introverted, and at ease with the world, you are creative though you may have a good sense of your self esteem.

Jazz, Blues and Soul: you could be more of an extrovert that has high self esteem, who may also be creative and be effortlessly intelligent.

Does this describe you?