News On Japan

Music with a groove has beneficial effect on brain activity

May 31 (trtworld.com) - Scientists in Japan find that listening to groove music has a positive effect on the mental capacity of people who say such music makes them feel clear-headed.

Researchers from the University of Tsukuba, Japan, have carried out a study that suggests that music with a groove, known as groove music, can “significantly increase measures of executive function and associated brain activity in participants who are familiar with the music,” according to a news release.

Groove music can bring feelings of pleasure to the fore, enhancing behavioural arousal levels. Just like exercise, which has similar positive effects – exercise is also known to enhance executive function.

The researchers hypothesised that groove music could also enhance executive function. Up until now, no studies had been carried out to analyse the effect of groove music on executive function or brain activity in regions associated with executive function, “such as the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (l-DLPFC).”

"Groove rhythms elicit groove sensations and positive affective responses. However, whether they influence executive function is unknown," says lead author of the study Professor Hideaki Soya.

"Accordingly, in the present study, we conducted brain imaging to evaluate corresponding changes in executive function, and measured individual psychological responses to groove music."

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