Music and Memory

"One of the most powerful causes of an emotional response is memory."* In other words, events that cause us have an emotional response (whether positive or negative) are the ones we remember and hold on to the most. And for some reason (we don't quite know why) the presence of music helps facilitates this powerful connection between memory and emotions.

Watch this fascinating video by the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function, a nonprofit agency, which is "dedicated to advancing scientific inquiry on music and the brain and to developing clinical treatments to benefit people of all ages."

Click to view "48 Hours" in Quick Time (it's a large file and may take a few minutes so please be patient while it loads completely-- it is worth seeing!) And if you have problems loading, please visit bethabe.org and scroll down to view the video titled, "48 Hours."

If music can help neurologic patients remember, imagine what it can do for the young and the healthy population!

*Krumhansl CL. An exploratory study of musical emotions and psychophysiology. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology. 51(4):336-53, 1997 Dec.