Effect of music on the human system

P = Presenter; R = Dr Ryman

P Have you ever wondered what effect music has on the human system? It’s almost impossible to avoid listening to it whether you choose to or not. It fills shopping streets all over the world, escapes from other people’s personal stereos on buses and trains, and it’s all we ever hear on ninety per cent of the world’s radio stations. I suppose people have always thought that musical tastes are subjective, that different people just happen to like or dislike different kinds. This idea is now being challenged, however, by research which has shown that music can affect us whether we actually like what we hear or not. For instance, some types of music may help us to relax, whereas others may provoke violent reactions. We have in our studio this evening Dr Jonathan Ryman, a psychologist who has studied the effects of music on hospital patients. Dr Ryman, can you tell us how you first became interested in this subject?

R Well, by accident really. Two things happened to me within a short space of time that made me curious. The first was when I was at my own doctor’s – I’d gone to get my blood pressure checked – and in the waiting room there was soft background music – Bach I think it was. Within a few minutes I felt completely relaxed and happy. I can remember wondering what the music was.

P Did you suspect even then that it was the music that was making you feel relaxed?

R No, not really. I just found it very pleasant. Only a week or two later I was at the dentist’s – I had to have a tooth filled. I’ve always hated dentists and I was very nervous. Anyway, I was sitting in the chair waiting for the drill, when this wonderful Indian music started playing. It was just incredible – in just a few seconds my feelings of anxiety had disappeared – I unclenched my hands and relaxed my body and actually felt myself smiling.

P So where did you go from there?

R Well, I decided to find out if any research had been done in this area, and I discovered that doctors in various countries had actually been using music for healing purposes for some time.

P How exactly is music used?

R Well, just to give you one example, at the hospital where I work, we now use music to help long-stay patients. Experimenting with different kinds of music, we have found that certain sounds have the power to change moods and emotional states for the better. Our patients often come to us shattered, angry and full of pain, both physical and emotional. They have had their lives reduced to a hospital bed and a locker. So we work to bring peace to both their body and mind.

P Can you give us any more examples?

R Well, yes. At a medical centre in Los Angeles, doctors have found that twenty minutes of gentle harp music is often more effective than tranquillizers or sleeping pills. At this hospital, music is also played to patients before major operations, and is used to treat severe back pain.

P What about Australia? What’s been going on there?

R Australia’s particularly interesting. A psychiatrist, Dr John Diamond, has been carrying out intensive research into the exact process by which music can alter states of mind. He has come to the conclusion that the effect of music depends on the intention of the composer. So, if a composer had loving thoughts at the time, then the music would heal. If his thoughts were angry, it would have the opposite effect.

P That’s incredible! Does Dr Diamond have anything else to say?

R I ought to say at this stage that I personally don’t go along with everything Dr Diamond says. In some cases the evidence for his claims is quite flimsy. Anyway, he claims that all music can be divided into three types. The first, low-energy music, makes you feel bad. A high proportion of rock music is in this category. Dr Diamond has found that rock music turns people’s morality upside down, and makes them feel hate instead of love. The next category is high-energy music. This makes you feel better, because it helps to normalize the heart beat. Bach is exceptionally high energy, as is the sitar player Ravi Shankar.

P This ties in perfectly with your own experience, doesn’t it?

R Absolutely. And the third category is what Dr Diamond has called ‘prayerful music’, which he claims has the most healing effect of all. Most early classical music falls into this category.

P Can I just take you back to something you said a moment ago? You said that rock music didn’t have a healing effect. That seems very strange to someone of my generation who was brought up on rock music. I mean, if it’s bad for people, how do you explain its worldwide popularity?

R That’s a very good question – and it’s something that’s been worrying me for some time. I have to say that in my own work I have not found rock music to be healing or harmful but, according to one of my colleagues, who has been studying this for six years, rock music acts like a drug. As the body becomes addicted to the beat, a tolerance develops. Before long, the volume has to be turned up to achieve the same level of stimulation. My colleague is so concerned that he’s written a report. Let me just quote the conclusion. It says: ‘People think that rock music is harmless, but it’s not. It affects every cell in the body – to its detriment.’

P Dr Ryman, we have to leave it there for today. Thank you very much.