NORTHERN PLANNER

I don’t just mean that Celine Dion makes me want to cut my ears off with a rusty scalpel, or how much songs are associated with memory…although both are true.

Rather, there are complex reactions going on in the body when we listen to music, and an array of physical effects.

Up tempo guitar music encourages the body to trigger dopamine production (feel good chemical) that galvanises your motor areas. Great for getting through a final set of strength training.

Rhythmic beats alter brain waves, and your muscles follow suit. That’s why you get the urge to dance- sometimes with hideous social consequences. Myosin, the chemical that governs muscle contraction kicks in. That’s why it’s good to play rhythmic dance music for step classes, or circuit training. The Rhythm actually helps the body along, and makes it WANT to do more.

Disjointed, forbidding or confusing music, like the orchestral surge in ‘A day in the life’ makes your spine shiver. It also forces a surge of adrenalin that gives your body extra explosive power. So if you’re going to sprint the 100m play some Portishead first.

Thrashing music like the White Stripes of punk cause the arteries to dilate as your racing pulse forces them to deal with greater blood flow. That’s good if you’re the kind of person that needs to psyche yourself up before a big event. Boris Becker used to be a slow starter, maybe you needed some Teenage Kicks.

On the other hand, slow soothing arrangements make your heart want to take it easy. If you’re the kind of person who gets so stressed before a pitch, you know what to do.

And of course, slow rhythms and suggestive lyrics trigger the same receptors in the brain that register arousal. But, nookie aside, if you want to do a task that requires feel, passion and creativity, the same type of music helps here too.

But there is no excuse for lifting weights to Eye of the Tiger.

On another note, I read somewhere (sorry, cannot remember the source) that The Beatles will have the same longevity as Beethoven or Mozart. Apparently, humans never stop developing the way they process music. The more you hear, the better you get at predicting chord progressions and, essentially, what will come next. That’s why we grow out of the kiddie pop music we liked as kids, and why more challenging bands are such an acquired taste.

Anyway, The Beatles work surprises the ear as much as some of the most complex classical music. It really does may to challenge people if you want to keep their interest. I’ll let you draw the obvious connection with all that analogy, followed by reveal the benefit advertising that’s out there right now…