How music and frequencies can supercharge your brain

You’ve probably heard that playing Beethoven to babies in utero can benefit their cognitive development, but did you know that sound waves and frequencies can also boost brain power?

How it works

Imagine your brain as a giant concert hall, where every neuron plays an instrument. When they play together in harmony, a brand-new connection is formed. For example, if you want to say “How are you?” in Mandarin, say NT hao ma. Look at that: your neurons are in harmony!

The melodic connection

It turns out, the brain is pretty responsive to sound. To use it to your best advantage, just fit the right music to the brain state it best attunes to – it’s a little like jumping on the train that’ll take you where you want to go.

Let’s say you’re tasked with solving a complex problem for your team, and you need to focus, to get it done on time. To get your neurons firing in a productive, problem-solving state, try playing complex musical compositions, such as classical music.

On the other hand, if you’ve been under a lot of stress, or you need to think more creatively, binaural beats are your ticket. And if you’re struggling to get good-quality sleep, calming music with rhythmic, gentle patterns will help you to wake up feeling refreshed.

Bottom line

When we engage our brain through specific sounds, we can achieve not only deeper enjoy- ment, but also greater wellbeing.