Melodies and Memories: How to Improve Brain Function!

Listening to music can support relaxation and cognition. Music training presents more benefits, beyond learning a new skill. Those who start piano training (even as adults) aren’t just learning Chopin but are better at processing sound and visual information which can improve important decision-making processes. Piano players as early as 11 weeks into learning have shown decreased levels of depression, anxiety and stress. Musical training doesn’t just mean you can ‘wow’ people with a rendition of Bowie’s Sound and Vision, but it can reduce the winter blues and potentially even combat dementia!

It's a disturbing prospect invoked by scenes from films like 'Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind', where people pay to have heart-breaking memories erased from their minds. In reality, our understanding of memory formation and storage suggests that erasing 'unwanted' memories could really help to treat disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction.