Why People Whistle or Sing

 

Do people only whistle or sing when they are happy?

Some people never whistle or sing—happy, sad, scared, or mad. Studies about whistling—and there are not many—found that more men than women whistle. Music Scholars refer to whistling as ‘momentary musical performing’, which also includes drumming a beat on the desk, humming while doing some tasks, and singing in the shower—which incidentally has been found to have a calming and refreshing effect on the brain, soothing the nerves and elevating the spirit. The choice of tune appears to reflect the whistler’s mood or is chosen to alter or enhance their mood. Some humans tend to whistle to break up the silence, the humdrum, the normal and boring, or to entertain themselves. Others whistle while they work. The 1937 animated Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, suggested that whistling provided a pace for cleaning up the place. In The King and I, whistling a happy tune was a way to cover up being afraid. In Universal Pictures Les Misérables, the Song of Angry Men was about people who will not  slaves again. Bottom line? People whistle or sing for many different reasons, each likely as unique as each person’s brain.

Performing Music

I enjoyed your answer for what happens in the brain when you listen to music. What happens in the brain when you perform music?

Oh my! Performing music engages almost all areas of the brain at once—especially portions that decode visual, auditory, and motor activity. Brain scans have shown that performing music actively lights up almost the entire brain. Think of it like a party is going on inside the brain complete with exploding fireworks. Music may be the only known medium that at once activates, stimulates, and engages the entire brain. If you are interested in this genre, you may enjoy the book that Michael R. Hudson and I recently co-authored: Music on the Brain.

Listening to Music

What happens in the brain when you listen to music?

 When you are listening to music, the short answer is A WHOLE LOT HAPPENS! While ears are designed to transmit sound waves, you hear with your brain as it decodes and interprets what the sound waves mean. Multiple areas of your brain are engaged and activated at the same time. Here are six things that happen in the brain when you listen to music:

      a) Levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine—the feel better chemical—rise.

      b) Levels of the stress hormone cortisol fall—reducing chronic stress.

c)         c) Endorphins that help you feel better also help you cope with pain are released

 d)   Neuropeptides can improve your mood as you listen to upbeat music.

 e)    Listening to sad or melancholy music can help you get in touch with your emotions and help you heal.

 f)     When you listen to live music, the bonding chemical, oxytocin is released that helps people learn to trust one another.

Hurt vs Pain

Does the brain know the difference between hurt and pain?

If we define hurt as a social-emotional injury and pain as a physical injury, then my brain’s opinion is that the brain may know the difference—since it does not process physical and social-emotional injuries identically. There is some differentiation in the brain between where pain versus hurt is decoded. However, brain imaging studies have shown that there is also some overlap between the two regions. Metaphorically, think of this as mashed potatoes versus baked potatoes. The brain knows there is a difference in appearance and somewhat in taste, yet ultimately still identifies them both as potatoes. Bottom line: social hurt and physical pain both create discomfort. Make no mistake, a broken heart may hurt as much as a broken bone

Happily Retired, 2

Happily Retired, Part 2 (Author Unknown)

9. I took a job in a Shoe Factory. I tried hard, but it was never a good fit.

10. I worked for a while as a professional fisherman, until I discovered I couldn't live on my net income.

11. Managed to get work at a Pool Maintenance Company, but the job was just too draining.

12. Then I took a position Workout Center, but they said I wasn't fit for the job.

13. After many years of trying to find steady work, I finally got a job as a Historian - until I realized there was no future in it.

December Poem 2021

It’s the 25^th and here in my house,

Lives gratitude—no fire to dowse.

There might be a mouse that’s creeping around,

But way down the hill where the grasses abound.

 My stocking still hangs from the mantle, I see—

Now that lights are back on—and happy is me!

Cuz now I can bake and cook up a storm,

Sharing with others to keep hearts warm.

 Delightful odors stir the air,

Suggesting we’ll like this holiday fare.

Symphony music streams out from my phone,

No scratchy sounds—there’s no gramophone.

Nostalgia is good but inventions update,

I've got the mem’ries and a new template.

The sun’s shining through a light misting of rain,

With temperatures now that are quite humane.

I deliberately add to my memory’s store,

Of joy and hugs and laughter galore.

Give thanks for your blessings—you do have some,

They are harbingers of what yet can come.

Think positive thoughts and hopeful be,

or a better world that your eye can see.

Take care of yourself, a favored guest

On planet earth—so be your best.

 Wherever you are and whatever you do,

I send good wishes from me to you.

They come from my heart and each brain cell,

Please have a meaningful, happy Noel.

It is Finally Here

 Take a deep breath. For some, it is holidays horribilis as they rush around trying to “do everything” their brain (or the brains of others think must be done.”. Whatever is done is done. Find something about which to smile, give thanks, and chuckle. I like oxymorons. For some, holiday cheer or holiday relaxation is an oxymoron. Tomorrow is another day. I shall take time to reflect on seasonal music, good friends, happy remembrances, my blessings, thankfulness--and some oxymorons.

• Silent Sound
• static flow
• steel wool
• student teacher
• sweet sorrow
• terribly good
• theoretical experience
• transparent night
• true fiction
• unbiased opinion
• unconscious awareness
• upward fall
• wise fool
• working vacation