Being Happy

     I just got done ranting to mom about all the stresses in my life right now and finished up with,
   
     'All I do is complain, I used to be so much more positive, now I'm negative all the time!'

     I sat down at the family computer to figure out some things about school and accidentally clicked on a tab Sarah had up on Pinterest. Covering nature journals, on the marbled green and brown cover, a quote was printed,

     Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect, it means you decide to see beyond the imperfections.

     I've been trying to tell myself 'happiness is a choice' for the last few months but it just doesn't seem to stick. But today I'm deciding, it's time to quit running from my problems, ranting about them doesn't help. I need to turn around and face them. Write them all down, sort them all through and find the answers instead of letting the problems drag me down. I need to stop running away from The Solution to my problems. It's time to see beyond the imperfections and choose happiness.
   

     

The Effects of Music on Our Brain

     My latest article response for my composition class responding to this interesting article I happened upon earlier today; Music and the Brain - Laurence O'Donnell. What are your thoughts on this subject or article?


Anna Lofgren

10/11/13

The Effects of Music on Our Brain 

     As a boy Albert Einstein’s grades in school were terrible and his teachers sent him home, 

telling his parents that he was too stupid to learn. But instead of giving up on him, his parents 

bought him a violin and Einstein used music as a learning aid becoming one of the smartest men 

in history. Playing music or singing uses both the left and the right side of the brain, exercising 

and strengthening it, making learning and memorizing easier and more effective. Music also has 

the power to influence our physical and emotional state.

     In the article “Music and the Brain” by Laurence O’Donnell, he addresses the issue of the 

effects of classical and jazz music versus rock and acid rock on living organisms and the power 

music, rhythm and beats have on our brains. Studies have been done on people that have proven 

that the rhythm of music either strengthens or weakens the brain’s capacity to take things in 

and to memorize. In the studies, a group of postgraduate students were read a list of vocabulary

words. The first group was asked to visualize the words while Handel’s Water music was being 

played in the background, the second group was read the same words with the same music 

playing but were not asked to visualize the words and finally, the third group was read the 

vocabulary words with no music playing and also were not asked to visualize. Results showed 

that the first and second groups had better results remembering the words than the third group 

and in the end the first group who had been asked to visualize the words had the best results of 

all. 

     Studies have also been done on animals and crops. A psychologist tested rats put into two 

boxes with free access to both, rock is played in one of the boxes and musical pieces by Bach 

in the second. The rats will choose to move to the box where Bach’s music is being played 

over the box where rock is being played, even when the music in the boxes is switched around. 

Cows produce more milk when certain pieces of music are played and hens will lay more eggs. 

Researchers from Canada also found that wheat crops will grow faster when exposed to certain 

ultrasonic and musical sounds.

     In 1968 a college student, Dorthy Retallac focused on the different sounds of music instead 

of the beat and found that plants grew well for almost every kind of music besides rock and acid 

rock. The plants exposed to these types of music withered and died. 

 I’ve noticed the influence that different types of music have on me. Some will put me into 

a good mood where other music will make me feel blue. Also I’ve noticed that listening to 

certain types of music either relaxes or riles me, helps me to concentrate or makes my brain feel 

cluttered and my thoughts short.

     O’Donnel uses a lot of examples of studies to support his point that different types of music, 

rhythm and beats affect our brain and body as well as other living organisms in either positive

or negative ways. He has a sound and organized argument that gets his point across persuasively

and effectively. This article is written informatively but an underlying persuasiveness comes 

through as he uses valid facts and research to make his point obvious for him without having to 

state a personal opinion. Reading this piece by O’Donnell really made me think about the effects 

that music has on us and the importance of listening to music that will have positive effects 

instead of negative.