Chandigarh, April 13: In every corner of the world — whether it’s a bustling classroom, a quiet hospital ward, or a crowded street — music plays like a second heartbeat. It fills the gaps left by words, wraps around pain, and dances with joy. For centuries, humans have turned to music not just to celebrate or mourn, but to understand themselves.
“Music is not just a sound,” says Dr. Ananya Mehta, a clinical psychologist who incorporates music therapy into her sessions. “It’s a deeply wired emotional experience. When we listen to music, it can validate our emotions, shift our mood, and even calm the body’s physiological response to stress.”
From a scientific standpoint, music impacts the brain in remarkable ways. Listening to a song you enjoy triggers a release of dopamine — the same pleasure chemical that gets activated when we eat our favorite food or receive praise. It also reduces cortisol, the hormone responsible for stress. In practical terms, that means music can lower anxiety, improve sleep, and even lessen the perception of physical pain.
But these discoveries are not new. They are only putting modern language to ancient wisdom. Across cultures, music has always been seen as more than entertainment.
In ancient India, ragas were believed to influence not just emotions, but nature itself — rain, seasons, even healing. Greek philosopher Plato wrote that “music is a moral law,” capable of shaping character. And in African cultures, rhythmic drumming became a form of communication and a way to bring communities together during rituals or recovery.
“Music, in its essence, was never meant to be consumed privately or passively. It was always participatory, collective, and healing,” notes Dr. Vivek Rao, an ethnomusicologist who has studied indigenous music traditions across Southeast Asia.
That connection between music and healing continues in today’s hospitals, therapy centers, and even classrooms. Music therapy is now a recognized practice used to support patients with depression, autism, Alzheimer’s, and trauma. In some cases, non-verbal patients respond to music when all other forms of communication fail. The late neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks, in his groundbreaking work Musicophilia, documented how Alzheimer’s patients who couldn’t remember their children’s names could still sing every word of a childhood hymn. “Music imprints itself on the brain deeper than any other human experience,” he once said.
Children, too, experience this on a fundamental level. A 12-year-old student at a Delhi school, Aarav, shared, “When I’m upset, I put on music and everything feels lighter. It’s like it talks to my mood and changes it.” His teacher, Renu Sharma, said the school now uses music at various intervals during the day — for calming down after playtime or focusing before tests. “It’s more effective than asking kids to be quiet or pay attention. Music resets them,” she said.
But it’s not just about calming the mind. Music also helps people process difficult emotions. During times of grief, many find solace in songs that give voice to sorrow. “When I lost my father, I couldn’t talk about it,” said Maria D’Souza, a Mumbai-based designer. “But there was this one ghazal I kept playing. It said what I couldn’t. That was my therapy.”
Music also creates community. Whether it’s people singing together in a Gurdwara or strangers swaying to the same beat at a concert, music fosters unity. Recent research shows that singing in groups releases oxytocin — the hormone responsible for bonding. “The beauty of music is that it reminds us we’re not alone in our experience,” said Dr. Mehta. “That can be incredibly healing.”
Even in times of political unrest, music has been a form of peaceful resistance — from spirituals during the American civil rights movement to protest songs in Kashmir and Punjab. It expresses what must be said, even when words are not allowed.
The digital age has further personalized this experience. Playlists now cater to every possible emotion and situation: heartbreak, motivation, anxiety, celebration. Algorithms try to guess our mood, but what remains human is the selection — the personal soundtrack we build, often unconsciously, to accompany our lives.
“It’s like curating your own emotional first-aid kit,” said 24-year-old engineering student Sahil Malik. “Some songs make me cry. Some hype me up before exams. And others just get me through the day.”
The therapeutic potential of music is being taken seriously around the world. In the UK, doctors are even prescribing music as part of “social prescribing” programs for patients dealing with loneliness or depression. Meanwhile, researchers in Finland and Canada are exploring how rhythm-based therapies can aid patients recovering from strokes or brain injuries.
But for all its complexity, the magic of music remains accessible. No expertise is needed. No conditions must be met. One press of a button, one hum of a melody, and the shift begins.
As Dr. Rao put it, “Music doesn’t ask questions. It just sits with you. And sometimes, that’s exactly what healing looks like.”
From the sacred chants of the past to the playlists of today, music remains one of humanity’s greatest tools for survival, expression, and joy. As history, science, and lived experience continue to reveal, music doesn’t just move us — it carries us.
