One world, one song? Probably not: Looking at music in conflict resolution

I have blogged so frequently here about the possible use of music in conflict resolution that music is one of the categories in the list over to the right. If you are interested in the question of whether or not there is any music that is universal enough to positively benefit most mediations, you will likely like the article "The Mind on Music" (Chicago Tribune).

Excerpt:

Philosophers for millenniums have marveled at the power of music to speak to our souls, to inspire joy, melancholy, aggression or calm with visceral insight beyond the grasp of our rational minds. Thanks to advances in neuroscience, researchers are beginning to understand what it is about music that touches us so deeply, and how to harness that power to soothe, uplift, comfort and heal — to use music as medicine for emotional and physical health.

...

It can seem obvious which songs would bring you up and which might bring you down. And indeed, there are structural components to songs that are meant to communicate joy, such as a fast tempo in major mode, or sadness, such as a slower tempo in minor mode. But there's a difference between the emotion communicated through music and the emotion actually induced in the listener. Our memories, personal preferences and

mood at the time can have a heavier influence than the intent of the musical structure in how music makes us feel.

...

While there are structural components that convey soothing, such as consonant harmonies and a narrow pitch range, whatever music has the most positive associations to the individual will have the most positive emotional and physiological response. It activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms heart rate, lowers blood pressure and relaxes muscles.

"I have found people who love punk rock and find that it helps them to sleep," Hanser said. "It's likely that they have learned it truly speaks to them and expresses a part of who they are."

Click to read the rest.

Comments

[BenZiegler]

I'm torn Stephanie... As a mediator and amateur musician I think, yeah.., music should be included in mediation somehow. Yet, one of the bugaboos, as I see it, of using music is that we have to choose - what music, and why did we choose it? It suggests control, influence over the resolution process, taking something away from the parties (ie. silence)... - maybe that's a good thing or maybe its not. I haven't experimented with music in mediation... Who has? How? (apologize if this is in one of your earlier posts about music). Tunefully yours, Ben.

[Chase]

As far as i know listening to Mozart while pregnant can make your child hyperactive, though it's really good for meditating=)