How Music Helps Us Move

How Music Helps You Move (in 30 seconds or less)

"When you listen to music, the quality of the music enters your soul"

- Aristotle

Does music help us move?

This was the question recently posed by Dr. Ragan Chatterjee to his guest, Dr. Kelly McGonigal on the Feel Better Live More Podcast. Dr. McGonigal, who is a research psychologist, a lecturer at Stanford University, and author, answered in the affirmative:

“When you listen to music that you enjoy, it activates the motor system of the brain and it gives you this rush of dopamine and adrenaline, and activates the whole motor circuit, it’s basically an invitation to move.”

She followed that turning on music, (that you enjoy), is as energizing as if you were to get up and start moving around.

Tell me more:

On the pod, Dr. McGonigal noted that listening to music also activates the emotional memory system, meaning we have emotional associations with music, (helping us relieve positive memories):

“One of the greatest gifts we can give to ourselves is to actually move in pleasurable or meaningful ways to songs that we love so that when we need that extra boost...you have that embodied memory.”

She followed that, “We all deserve a ‘walk on’ song” (e.g. a personal anthem that pumps us up for whatever challenge we’re facing that day).

On the benefits of movement:

Dr. McGonigal posited that movement helps us access joy and amplify it:

“Movement amplifies the joy that we get.”

Thanks to the bonding hormones released during exercise, movement can also help us bond with others making it easier to connect with people and making it easier to resolve conflict:

“If you exercise, you have better interactions with other people for the next 24 hours.”