The limbic system, which is in control of processing emotions, “lights up” when we listen to music. Many people, teenagers especially, can say that music has impacted them greatly- but why? Do teens just not want to take responsibility or pay any attention to the people around them- or is there an underlying explanation?
“Music has helped me bond with people, it gives us a common interest and has given me a lot of friends.” sophomore Eli Claxton stated.
Making friends is hard, ‘do they think I’m annoying, should I stop talking, what else do I say??’, the stress can be unbearable for many but music opens another path of interest. Meeting someone with the same music taste as you is like meeting a long-lost twin, you instantly have a bond that you might not have with many other people. With all the things that go on in our lives, being able to distract our brains with a catchy melody gives us a break from all the stress.
“I don’t know if I could survive a school day without my airpods in.” sophomore Mylee Baker says, “music is my life and helps me drown out the people around me and like focus more on myself.”
With the crazy reality we live in, it can get hard for us to listen to our bodies and what we need.
Whether it’s a significant other, family, work, money, or school, we have so much to pay attention to- it draws away the attention we need for ourselves. It’s good to take a little bit of time every day to just relax; listen to your body and what it’s telling you it needs. Putting on music helps drown out the chaos from the outside world, it helps your brain focus more on what you’re doing and not the things around you. Music is so impactful and a healthy escape from reality.