Listen, Dance and Play Music for Your Brain Health

 by Lori Michiel | Jun 1, 2024

National Safety Month is also Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month

People who have studied the brain have shown that listening to music you enjoy can cause a release of dopamine, a chemical that increases feelings of happiness, according to Sarah Lenz Lock, AARP Senior VP of Policy and Brain Health.

I’ve never taken for granted the impact music has had on my creativity, whether I am exercising, writing or relaxing. My favorite tunes are a part of my soul. Even prior to the research being released, music aided individuals in recollecting significant moments in their past and improved mobility, balance and helped with neurologic disorders. A study published in Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation in 2018 states stroke survivors who participated in a twice-weekly dance class for 10 weeks had better balance. What could be better?

Senior or not, whether listening to the creative team of Lerner and Lowe, Rodgers and Hammerstein, or Latin rhythms…they all help our brain.

In honor of National Safety, Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness month, I dedicate this blog, along with music and song to those whose loved ones may be experiencing chronic conditions and other challenges associated with cognitive impairment. Get ready to move while singing a few bars…Songs of hope and happiness:“Don’t Stop” – Fleetwood Mac, “The River of Dreams” – Billy Joel, “Coming Out of the Dark” – Gloria Estefan, “Walking on Sunshine” – Katrina and the Waves, “What the World Needs Now” – Dionne Warwick or “I Saw the Light” – Hank Williams.Which songs come to your mind?