Have you ever noticed that certain songs make you feel calm, while others instantly make you feel energized? Maybe listening to classical music helps you concentrate while studying, or an upbeat playlist motivates you during a workout. While it may seem like music is simply changing your mood, it is actually changing something much deeper: the electrical activity of your brain. Scientists have discovered that music can influence the brain’s natural rhythms, called brain waves, which are involved in everything from relaxation and memory to attention and learning. Let’s explore what these brain waves are and how music can influence them!
First, let’s learn about what brain waves are! (All information comes from this research synthesis.)
Every time neurons communicate, they create tiny electrical signals as they fire across synapses. When millions of neurons fire together (a common occurrence, since you have over 85 billion neurons in your brain!), these signals become synchronized enough to be detected by an electroencephalogram, or EEG. Instead of producing random activity, the brain creates rhythmic electrical patterns called brain waves, which are measured in Hertz (Hz), or cycles per second. There are four main types of brain waves: Alpha, Beta, Theta, and Gamma waves.
Alpha waves (8–12 Hz) are associated with relaxation, calm wakefulness, reduced sensory input, and mental readiness. The researchers described alpha as an “idling rhythm.” Despite what you might think, however, this does not mean that the brain is inactive. Instead, it means the brain is awake but not overloaded with information. In fact, alpha activity actually increases when distracting information is being filtered out, helping the brain focus on what matters most.
Beta waves (13–30 Hz) are associated with active thinking, attention, decision-making, problem-solving, and motor planning. Beta rhythms typically increase when you’re mentally engaged, doing things such as taking a test, solving math problems, or even playing a difficult musical passage! Interestingly, too much beta activity has been linked to increased stress and anxiety.
Theta waves (4–8 Hz) are associated with memory formation, creativity, daydreaming, meditation, and the early stages of sleep. Theta isn’t simply a sleep wave, however. Researchers found that it also becomes active during learning, navigation, forming new memories, and imagination—not just during early sleep. In fact, the hippocampus, a region of the brain essential for memory, shows especially strong theta rhythms.
Gamma waves (30+ Hz) are the fastest brain waves. They are associated with attention, perception, learning, memory binding, and conscious awareness. Scientists believe gamma waves help different brain regions communicate rapidly. For example, when recognizing someone’s face, voice, and facial expression all at once, gamma waves may actually help combine all of those pieces into one unified perception.
Although I talked about all of these separately, brain waves definitely do not work independently. Multiple frequencies are active simultaneously, and different rhythms work together depending on what the brain is doing. For example, when music is being played, alpha waves may help filter out distractions, beta waves support active listening and attention, theta waves assist with learning and memory, and gamma waves help combine all of the sounds into one complete musical experience.
This study focused on whether listening to music might temporarily change brain-wave activity and, if those changes occurred, whether they continued even after the music had finished. Rather than measuring EEG activity solely while participants were listening to music, the researchers also examined brain activity afterward while participants completed a time-estimation task, where they estimated how much time had passed after hearing a signal.
The participants were healthy adults who completed several trials. Before each task, they either sat in silence, listened to music at 90 BPM, 120 BPM, or 150 BPM. Throughout the entire experiment, researchers continuously recorded EEG activity.
They found that music increased alpha activity, much more than sitting in silence. This suggests that music promotes a more synchronized and relaxed brain state. Fast music also increased beta waves, and that increase remained even after the music ended. This demonstrates that music can temporarily change the brain’s functional state.
Those who listened to music at 120 BPM achieved an optimal level of alertness and produced the most accurate time-estimation performance. The researchers also discovered that extremely fast music may actually over-activate the brain. Music at 150 BPM increased beta activity substantially. Although beta activity is associated with attention, too much activation may interfere with optimal performance. This suggests that more stimulation isn’t always better.
Music doesn’t simply entertain us while it’s playing; it physically changes our brain’s electrical activity for several minutes afterward, influencing how we think and perform tasks.
As scientists continue to study the connection between music and the brain, they’re discovering that music is much more than entertainment. It has the ability to influence the very rhythms our brains use to think, learn, remember, and focus. Whether you’re listening to calming classical music while studying or upbeat songs before a big game, your brain is constantly adapting to what you hear. The next time you put on your favorite playlist ( listen to the Music is Medicine Classical Playlist — linked here ), remember, you aren’t just listening to music. Your brain is responding to it, one brain wave at a time!
