Researchers know it's not just make-believe because dogs feel it too: In a study published in Nature, dogs exposed to Mozart or Chopin achieved deeper sedation levels during surgery and required significantly less anesthesia than those in the control group.
"It's a recent feature of Western society that we have separated these two, healing and music," writes musician and neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin in his recent book, I Heard There Was a Secret Chord. He cites scientific advances that open a path to recombining the two fields. One of the most fascinating aspects of music therapy is its ability to directly influence brain chemistry. "Playing and listening to music can soothe us through the release of prolactin, can reset our mood through changing serotonin levels, and can motivate us to seek pleasure through modulating dopamine activity," Levitin states. "Simultaneously, music stimulates neurogenesis and neuroplasticity, enhancing brain recovery and normalizing the stress response."
Listening to music can be a welcome distraction, but its effects go deeper. Evidence has emerged that listening to music can partly restore normal neurochemical balance, even in difficult-to-treat conditions including trauma, Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia, and depression.