1 Corinthians 10:23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
Janine S. Pouliot, in The Power of Music (Vol. 13, The World & I, 05-01-1998, pp 147) reveals that rock music is of no benefit even to our bodies.
[ September 14, 2002, 07:36 AM: Message edited by: Clint Kritzer ]
Janine S. Pouliot, in The Power of Music (Vol. 13, The World & I, 05-01-1998, pp 147) reveals that rock music is of no benefit even to our bodies.
Researchers have begun to examine the connection between the body' s functions and music. Take, for instance, the Institute of HeartMath, a nonprofit corporation located in Boulder Creek, California. In conjunction with Dr. Alan Watkins of the Department of University Medicine, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, England, scientists at the institute examined music's effect on the immune functions in healthy adults.
Their investigation built upon earlier research indicating that when exposed to images (photographs or videos) that triggered positive emotions such as care and compassion, subjects produced greater quantities of antibodies in the class called immunoglobulin A (IgA), as measured in the saliva. Immunoglobulin A--the first line of defense in the body's immune system--is present not only in the saliva but in other secretions as well, such as tears, intestinal fluids, and milk. When a virus or other microbe enters the body, we immediately increase our production of IgA to intercept and fight off the invading pathogen.
Based on the preliminary research, investigators at the Institute of HeartMath reasoned that if music induces a positive mind-set, it should help enhance the production of salivary IgA. To test this hypothesis, 10 male and 4 female subjects between the ages of 27 and 53 were instructed to think of someone (such as a spouse or child) or some activity (such as a job or hobby) that gave them a feeling of appreciation. They had to maintain that feeling with absolute concentration.
Subjects were then exposed to three types of music--rock, New Age, and "designer" music--for 15 minutes per day on separate days. Designer music, which doesn't fit into any of the established categories of music, consists of melodies and rhythms created to produce the desired result. It came about partly through a trial-and-error process and partly through intuition and prior knowledge. In these experiments, saliva samples were collected immediately before and after the listening period, and the samples were tested for the change in content of salivary IgA.
Supporting earlier research, subjects demonstrated a 40 percent increase in salivary IgA after self-induced, positive emotional states. But what occurred after the introduction of designer music proved really dramatic: Salivary IgA shot up 140 percent, indicating a major boost for the immune system. By contrast, rock and New Age music did not lead to statistically significant changes in IgA levels.
[ September 14, 2002, 07:36 AM: Message edited by: Clint Kritzer ]