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Alex

“Beating” the Blues this Winter


Music heals. We’ve all heard it and I believe it. Other than seeking out social activities and playing with my kids, the one other thing that helps me get through the winter of my discontent in the northeast is music.


It’s so easy and simple. Turn on the radio, create or click on a playlist, buy a ticket to a live show, and your mood immediately improves. So I did a little research:


"During a stressful situation, our body produces two hormones, cortisol and adrenaline, to help fight the cause of stress. Our stress hormones are constantly being activated, to our detriment. Yet findings showed that adrenaline and cortisol levels in our blood drastically drop after singing for an hour, or simply just listening to calming music. There are compounds known as cytokines, which are like little messengers for our immune system. They travel around our body, helping immune cells communicate with each other. Music can indeed change and increase our cytokines, which in turn boosts our immune system. In a study, after an hour of singing, volunteers had significantly more cytokines in their blood. The more cytokines in our blood, the more communication there is between cells, and the more our immune system gets boosted."

https://www.collective-evolution.com/2016/09/14/new-study-shows-how-music-boosts-the-immune-system-of-cancer-patients/


So music can boost the immune system, GREAT! (Especially since I didn’t get a flu shot this winter). Anyway, I went further and found that attending a live concert once every two weeks can add nine years to your life. What?!


“The logic here is that live music increases feelings of self-worth, closeness to others, and, especially, mental stimulation, all of which contribute to one’s sense of well-being. According to the study, there’s a 'positive correlation between regularity of gig attendance and well-being,' and “additional scholarly research directly links high levels of wellbeing with a lifespan increase of nine years.”

(https://consequenceofsound.net/2018/04/study-attending-concerts-increases-years-on-your-life/)


I grew up listening to music, my father was a DJ as a side gig, and when I was young there was music playing throughout our apartment. Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa, Tommy Dorsey...I think that’s where my love for syncopation and different rhythms started and I knew music would always be a part of my life.


A few years ago I decided to form a music company. It’s called All Sounds Fair LLC and we put on live music events for equality. Through All Sounds Fair we’ve managed to raise thousands of dollars for LGBTQ charities. It’s an area of my life that's rewarding even though it doesn’t generate any income for me. It keeps me healthy, I know that much.


So stay tuned for summer news about All Sounds Fair and take a listen to my latest Spotify playlist. I bet it will improve your mood and have you looking forward to Spring...enjoy!


 


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