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Music isn’t just entertainment; it’s also therapy for the mind and body. Emerging research has revealed how tunes transform the brain, tone the body, and uplift the spirit. In the era of Spotify and Pandora, it’s still worthwhile to shut off the screen and go out into the real world to feel the beat in real time at a live music performance. Here are five reasons to attend a live concert.
Concerts = Community
Well+Good reports on the power of a concert to connect its attendees, a phenomenon that French sociologist Emile Durkheim describes as “collective effervescence.” When a group, from different backgrounds gets together and sways to the beat together, it “cultivates connections and feeling a part of a larger and potentially meaningful whole,” music therapist Kristen Stewart tells Well+Good. She adds that “Coming together in this communal form of music sharing magnifies experiences.”
Dr. Scott Glassman, the director of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Master of Applied Positive Psychology Program, sums up the social benefit obtained by attending a concert. In a comment to Well+Good, he explains that, “You could think of [concerts] as finding a sacred, euphoric space of togetherness.”
Dancing is good for you
If one attends a rave or music festival, it’s likely there will be dancing. A Friday Health Plans company blog amplifies the benefits of dancing at a concert. It turns out, moving to the music can be a really good workout that can equate to a two-hour, high-intensity workout. And, it’s a lot more fun than running on a treadmill for two hours.
Music makes happy hormones
Music therapist, Kristen Stewart, tells Well+Good that concerts cause the body to release all the “happy hormones” associated with feeling good and being less stressed, including serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins. A study from Western Michigan University’s School of Music found that social singing also boosts oxytocin levels.
Music reduces stress
Music doesn’t just increase the levels of “feel good” hormones in the body, it also lowers the concentration of stress hormones, like cortisol, according to Friday Health Plans. One study found that attending a classical music performance actually led to lower blood pressure and respiratory rates.
Maybe that’s why music has the potential to improve well being? One study (by music venue O2) found that wellbeing was significantly more positively impacted by listening to music than by yoga or dog walking.
Glassman tells Well+Good that this effect is amplified when attending a concert. “Combining dance or movement with social connection, two other major ingredients of attending concerts, present a powerful synthesis of elements that independently are associated with higher levels of well-being,” Dr Glassman explains.
Make the music yourself
Listening to music socially comes with a slew of benefits. But, Well+Good shares, making the music is also beneficial. Playing an instrument or singing is used to treat cognitive, social, and emotional deficits caused by traumatic brain injury, and according to one study can improve focus and memory in older adults.
Live concerts offer an unparalleled experience that goes beyond just entertainment. They provide a space where music becomes more than just sound — it becomes a shared journey of emotions, wellbeing, and connection that leaves attendees healthier and happier.
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