Does playing the piano regularly relieve stress and increase feelings of well-being?

Many of you have told me that it does. 

I think you’re right. I have been playing every evening for a few months and I think I feel happier.  I’m no longer feeling as upset about things in life that have changed due to the pandemic.

Why is this?  (If I could articulate why this daily half hour habit of playing the piano had changed my outlook, I would probably be more likely to keep going with it.) 

To further my understanding, I looked in this book: This is Your Brain on Music, by Daniel J. Levitin.

While I didn’t find an answer to this precise question, I was prompted to make a wonderful observation. While  scanning over descriptions of studies seeking to discover which parts of the brain are engaged when people are involved with music, I got this beautiful image in my mind. Synapses firing and connecting with little sparks of light all over the brain. Playing music lights up my brain! Here, in this mental image, was the motivational boost that I was seeking.

Here’s a quote:

“The story of your brain on music is the story of an exquisite orchestration of brain regions, involving both the oldest and newest parts of the human brain, and regions as far apart as the cerebellum in the back of the head and the frontal lobes just behind your eyes.  It involves a precision choreography of neurochemical release and uptake between logical prediction systems and emotional reward systems. …Your brain on music is all about …connections.”  

 –This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel J. Levitin p. 192

Wishing you many joyful connections and a light heart!  And don’t hesitate to call, text or email me anytime you’re ready for the sparkling sound of a finely tuned piano.

Cheers!

Amy Zilk, RPT