YOMAG - Music - Music & health: Are those two notions connected?

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Author: Zuzana Blažková, MG Příbor, Czech Republic

Music & health: Are those two notions connected?

Příbor 21. 05. 2009

Music. A magic word which affects all of us. Some people listen to music very often, some people only rarely and some people have music as a job. Music has developed for a very long time, so nowadays we know many different kinds of music, and everybody can find his own style.

Nevertheless, have you ever thought, if there is a connection between music & health? I think that the answer is certainly 'yes'. In my opinion, scientists will always invent new ways of enjoying music and new music players, for example mp3 and mp4 players have been developed lately. Of course, the development of technology can´t be stopped, it is a never-ending process, which I believe is a natural attribute of mankind. But how deeply have people thought of the effect that technology can have on our health? Can listening to music on mp3 players damage our hearing?

I was interested in this topic because a lot of people, including me, own an mp3 player. Every day I can see a lot of other people with headphones in their ears. That is why I began to search on the internet to find some information. I discovered that a person can lose their hearing when they regularly listen to music on an mp3 or mp4 player which is louder than 90 dB. The maximum volume of mp3 players varies depending on the make of the mp3 player. However, the volume of some players can even reach 120dB which scientists compare with intense rock music or a plane taking off .

To have some idea about sound intensity I am including a scale of some sounds and their volume.

Decibel level of some common sounds

30 dB whisper (a reading room in a library)
40 dB a noiseless room, a whirring sound of a fridge
50 dB rain
60 dB a normal conversation, sound of a dishwasher
70 dB louder traffic, a hoover
80 dB ringing of an alarm-clock
90 dB grass mower, underground train
100 dB drilling machine
110 dB a small plane, rock music
120 dB a plane taking off , amplified rock music or a car radio
130 dB pneumatic drill
140 dB shooting weapon, siren, jet engine
150 dB the loudest moments of a rock concert

According to this list everybody who listens to their mp3 player at maximum volume risks the threat of damaging their hearing.
That list can make us to think of hearing injury. And what are the symptoms of damaged hearing? An unpleasant droning in yours ears and a rustle. The famous composer Ludwig van Beethoven is a good example of slomeone who suffered from damaged hearing. Of course, an mp3 player didn´t play any role there. He suffered from a very serious form of ear rustle. Although doctors tried to help him, his hearing was getting worse and in the end he became completely deaf. It´s fascinating to think, however, that he still managed to compose.

Maybe you are asking yourself now, how can you can save your hearing?. The answer is easy. At first, you have to listen to music on your mp3 player one hour a day at a level of about 60 to 70 decibels at most. Secondly, you should be careful what kind of headphones you have. Small headphones sit more closely to the eardrum so the probability of a damage is higher. And finally, the most important thing: when you listen to music on an mp3 player and you can't hear somebody who is speaking to you, then your mp3 player is too loud.

I would also say that listening to music on mp3 players may not just injure your hearing. In fact, a quite tragic situation can easily happen. Some people go cycling or inline skating, they often listen to music when riding, believing it's just pleasant fun. Nevertheless, it´s very dangerous. They can very easily lose attention and a car might injure or kill them.

On the other hand, music also helps us. For example it´s a good therapy for blind people. They can see nothing so that's why music helps them to imagine the world around them. In addition to that there are several reason for saying that music is magic, music is sweet. “Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence“, the English composer and producer Robert Fripp said and I absolutely agree with him. In conclusion I would like to say that your health is the most important gift you have. It would be a pity if we damaged our hearing only on account of carelessness when listening to music.