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The 5 Weirdest Ways Music Can Mess With the Human Brain

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OnPorpoise
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09 Dec 2013, 11:42 pm

I saw this article LINK HERE at Cracked. It's a humor site, but they also present scientific studies in a humorous way.

Reason #1 mentioned that learning to play an instrument might help autistic people:

Quote:
It turns out that studying music gives you an advantage when it comes to perceiving the emotions of others. . .

People who can play instruments at near-professional level can detect subtle emotional changes and intonations in the vocal tones of others. . . the fact that they studied music makes them better able to tune out background noise, so they are even better at paying attention to what you are saying in that crowded restaurant or bar.

Research shows that people who have studied music actually have brains wired differently than non-musicians. This rewiring makes them better able to express emotions they are feeling, but it also makes them more able to understand the emotions others express.

Scientists think that teaching children music might help kids with autism better understand vocal cues and encode speech.
The Aspies here who are musicians, what do you say? Do you think you have higher functioning in those areas as a result of studying music? I know I have trouble focusing in on one conversation when there are a bunch going on around me. Did you notice an improvement after several years of playing an instrument?


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charcoalsketches
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10 Dec 2013, 12:29 am

I don't really know if music is what helped me realize people's emotions better, but if they say Aspies have trouble reading emotions, then as a self-proclaimed music junkie, that must have some meaning. I am able to spot emotions through a person's singing. I know when they are nervous, when they try too hard, when they are sad, and when they simply cannot sing. The reason I can't get into mainstream music is because you can't always tell anyone's emotion when they perform what they do. Real emotion and thought is what makes music more interesting. Really, anything more interesting in my book. :-)


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Who_Am_I
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10 Dec 2013, 9:05 am

I'm terrible at all those things and I'm a damn good musician.
I'd hate to see how bad I'd be if I was a non-musician.


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Uprising
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10 Dec 2013, 10:44 am

John Mayer = music?

:doh:



AScomposer13413
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10 Dec 2013, 11:37 am

OnPorpoise wrote:
The Aspies here who are musicians, what do you say? Do you think you have higher functioning in those areas as a result of studying music? I know I have trouble focusing in on one conversation when there are a bunch going on around me. Did you notice an improvement after several years of playing an instrument?


For myself, I'd say so. I've been playing music since I was very young with the occasional new instrument thrown in every few years or so, so I'm not sure of the rate of improvement, but it's definitely there.


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izzeme
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10 Dec 2013, 4:20 pm

i am not sure about reading the emotions in voice, but i do know that i am relatively good at detecting vocal intonation and inflection (for an aspie), but i still dont internally 'know' what they mean, i have to make a concious effort to translate those effects into an emotion. this is an advantage over the "stereotype" still, since i at least notice it.

the second part of the quote is something i do indeed experience; i am better at tuning out background noise or emphasizing a single sound/voice then even the NTs i know.
aside from simply turning down the general sensitivity of my ears, i can also change the balance between sounds to make a single sound louder or weaker then the rest, without sacrificing the general control.
this way, i can follow conversations on the other side of a room at a birthday (many conversations and background music).
also, i have a good sensitivity to different frequencies and waveforms, as well as direction, so i can point out which of the tubelights is about to fail, or which of the fridge doors isn't closed properly.