Five Ways to Fill This Month with Happiness (Clue: It’s All About Music!)

Are you a happy person? We hope you are because, as Albert Einstein so beautifully put it, “joy is nature’s most beautiful gift.”

There is a reason why we are bringing up this topic: March 20 has been designated by the United Nations as the International Day of Happiness. It’s just one day, but there is no reason why the entire month of March (and all the years of our lives, for that matter) should not be filled with happiness!

According to the UN, this event is intended to “increase human happiness and wellbeing.” There are many ways to achieve this goal, and one of them is — you guessed it — music!

Scientific research clearly shows that people who are exposed to music feel happier.

So let’s look at…

Five Pieces of Compelling Evidence that Music Makes Us Happy

1. Music boosts our mood by releasing the “feel good hormones” — such as dopamine — in the brain.
2. Another hormone, endorphin, has been scientifically proven to relieve pain. And, of course, less pain means greater wellbeing!
3. Music is known to reduce stress and anxiety, also alleviating the symptoms of depression.
4. A new study demonstrates that music boosts creativity.
5. Music keeps the brain more alert, even as we age. And a sharp brain equals an active and happy life.

Burst with Joy!

Science is clear: music and happiness go hand in hand – not just on March 20 but throughout your life.

To sum up, music lifts our mood, reduces stress, alleviates pain, makes us more creative, and keeps out brains sharp.

So if you haven’t yet started your music lessons, now is the time to get happy.

Photo: Colours courtesy of Camdiluv and Flickr