A new English study reveals the benefits of learning a musical instrument like the piano on the brain and shows how it can chase away the blues.
- For this study, 31 adults were assigned to either a music training group, a music listening group, or a control group.
- Researchers found that in the music training group, within weeks of starting classes, participants’ ability to process multi-sensory information (which requires sight and hearing) was enhanced.
Learning to play a musical instrument has many positive effects on the brain. Researchers at the University of Bath in England have discovered a new one: learning the piano improves the brain’s ability to process images and sounds. They also show how it can help us combat periods of depression and stress.
An hour of piano a week would reduce stress, anxiety and depression
According the results of their studypublished in the journal Scientific Reports, volunteers who simply took one hour of weekly piano lessons for 11 weeks reported less depression, stress and anxiety. The study authors suggest that music lessons could be beneficial for people with mental health issues. Further research is also underway to test this.
Additionally, significant improvements in the ability to recognize visual and sound changes in the environment were also observed in study participants who received the piano lessons. The latter showed greater accuracy in tests where they had to determine whether audio and visual “events” occurred at the same time compared to others.
The complexity of piano learning improves cognitive abilities
These multi-sensory enhancements can be useful in many everyday situations, for example when driving a car, when looking for someone in a crowd or when playing video games.
“Learning to play an instrument like the piano is a complex task: it requires a musician to read a score, generate movements and monitor auditory and tactile feedback to adjust their actions”said Karin Petrini, co-author of the study, in a communicated. The cognitive psychologist and music specialist adds: “The results of our study suggest that this has a significant positive impact on how the brain processes audiovisual information, even in adulthood when brain plasticity is reduced.”