The Power of Music
Read about why music affects us and practise defining relative clauses with who, which, that, and whose.
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Music is something that humans have created in every culture that we know of. From ancient drum circles to modern playlists, the sounds which move us seem to share a common purpose. They give shape to feelings that ordinary words struggle to express.
Scientists who study the brain have discovered that music activates more regions than almost any other activity. The pleasure we get from a favourite song comes from the same chemical, dopamine, which also rewards us for eating and exercising. People who play instruments regularly often have stronger memories than those who do not.
I have a friend whose mother survived a stroke, and the doctors who treated her recommended music therapy. At first, my friend was sceptical. However, after several weeks of singing familiar songs, her mother began speaking again. The melodies that she had known since childhood reached parts of her brain that the stroke had not damaged.
Music also connects strangers. A football crowd which sings together becomes one body. The teenagers who scream at concerts feel less alone. Even people who cannot agree on politics will often agree on a song that they both grew up with.
Of course, music is not a cure for everything. The same song that lifts one person can make another sad. But the moments which music creates (the chills during a chorus, the tears at a wedding) remind us that we are all listening to something together.
Questions
What does the writer say humans have created in every culture?