Diving into Life with the Goggles of Music Psychology

Emotional Intelligence Uncovered:

Diving into Life with the Goggles of Music Psychology 

Dusha Nanthakumar, a mental health advocate and musician, shares intricate brain music techniques to regulate emotions and foster mental health. This ‘psycho-music’ approach helps improve our emotional intelligence through music. 

Read more about Dusha Nanthakumar at the end of the blog.

The way we each sense the world is completely unique, often making it difficult to compare our experiences. To overcome that challenge, I will engage with you in this article through visualization: a practice of arranging thoughts into a picture with motion-like sequence. Visualizations not only help us find common ground, but they also help us reflect on our experiences and ourselves. 

Now picture that you are sitting by the beach this evening, on the fine sand, staring at the wild ocean. 

Surfing on the Waves of Emotions: Introduction to Emotional Intelligence

At one point you see a surfer at the very peak of one of the waves. 

If we were to draw emotions, then the drastic changes of waves would be a good analogy. Emotions come with a wide range, from deep sorrow to euphoric joy, and how we perceive them can be equated to emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to supervise our own and others’ emotions, to distinguish them, [1] and to navigate them with skills built in past experiences. Bringing it back to our surfing analogy: The surfer gets to decide if the waves are thrilling or turbulent. In this case, the surfer keeps stability to skilfully pilot the surfboard instead of being anxious on how to navigate the wave. Personally, EI has assisted me to be aware of my own and other’s emotions during difficult times, which has helped me to anticipate and assess emotional situations better. As a result, I tend to opt for a calm mindful response to situations and people instead of reacting with impulsive emotions

Let’s turn back to our calm surfer: while resting calmly at the peak moments ago, you suddenly see him swallowed by the waves. But soon, he is back, making way towards the top of a new wave. 

EI is an active process we constantly employ and improve. The surfer may have been swallowed by the wave, but he reappeared gaining new momentum and perceptions. The surfer came back out, embracing the new emotions ahead. Similarly, developing and employing our EI skills, helps us stay calm and execute our skills in a deliberate manner.

Beach Bonfire Analysis: Incorporation of Binaural Beats for Emotional Regulation

You are now sitting next to the bonfire by the shore during late evening. Shortly, you notice gentle sounds to be loud to the ears. You easily hear the campfire sparking the woods or spot the sound of the sea breeze. You also hear the echoes of the waves during the tides.

Emotions can be understood with EI depending on how we choose to respond to our surroundings. With sharp listening techniques, you will notice that our surroundings have sounds in their rawest form including delicate frequencies of music. Fascinatingly, our brains can be stimulated with specific frequencies of music, in a way that supports our emotion regulation and prevents undesired emotions. Our brain activity can be categorized into five types of frequencies: Delta (0.1–4 Hz), Theta (4–8 Hz), Alpha (8–13 Hz), and Beta (13–30 Hz) [2] and Gamma (greater than 30Hz). Each of these frequency bands are associated with specific brain states, for example calmness, focus or sleep. By using music, we can activate and enhance certain frequencies and therefore brain states. One of these types of music is called binaural beats.

Binaural beats help enhance our focus on a desired thought through specific frequency bands. There are many variations of binaural beats produced by music scientists and they are typically used for enhancing memory power, focus and deep sleep. Specially designed calming music with binaural beats (alpha brainwave range, 8–13 Hz) can encourage relaxation in individuals [2]. I often use binaural beats while studying to formulate creative ideas or decode complex problems.

Within minutes of hearing the subtle sounds of nature beside the campfire, you psychologically feel a sense of relaxation and tranquillity.

Music in our surroundings that resemble binaural beats improve EI through hypnotic interventions [3] with the psychological response mechanism of emotion regulation [4]. Psychological responses are produced when music passes through the auditory cortex, a brain region that processes music [4]. The processing itself occurs in the limbic system which is well known for processing emotions, feelings and sensations. In a stressful situation, music serves as an auditory distraction and helps reduce our attention to an aversive stimulus [4]. In addition, calming music helps us alleviate stress through the release of beta-endorphins levels (natural opioid pain relievers of the body). In the long run, music and its derivatives have the ability to improve our mood and  lessen our stress.

Building Sandcastles with a Meditative State: Art of Manifestation with Conscientiousness 

Once acquiring a calm state of mind (with music), it is important to instill the appropriate thoughts. Music such as binaural beats are critical in influencing your attention span. It helps you build up a state of sharp concentration which is similar to a meditative state. 

You are collecting sand and soon start to build sandcastles. You hear the sounds of the waves fused with binaural beats while doing so. With focus, you design and build the castles promptly.

Instilling appropriate thoughts is similar to building sandcastles at the beach. When you generate thoughts: start from regulating emotions, get relaxed and then acquire a firm focus. Building blocks of thoughts are generated effectively in meditative states. It is in the meditative state that you should manifest a noble intention to implant them psychologically in the mind. Binaural beats have made my manifesting sessions more productive to execute intense deep work effectively. From personal experience, when dealing with binaural beats, balance is the key. Be conscientious in setting the thresholds because too much or too little of anything is harmful. Upon consultation from well-versed mentors, observe the post-effects carefully on how your brain and body reacts to the binaural beats. Hence, you will be able to identify the frequency bands and duration best suited for you.

Key Points to Improve EI with Music Psychology

First, master your emotions. Navigate your surfboard wisely on your ocean of life. Being aware of emotions is one of the indicators of having good EI. By being emotionally intelligent, you are not only taking accountability of your life but inspiring others to do so. Second, build yourself in a deep meditative state. Just like building sandcastles, shape your identity. Create a path for yourself that will also be a guide for others. Third, music in the form of brain frequencies and waves are powerful tools for self-mastery; use it conscientiously! The vibration of powerful thoughts can spark enormous waves.

References:

[1] Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and 

Personality, 9(3), 185-211. http://dx.doi.org/10.2190/DUGG-P24E-52WK-6CDG

[2] Mahmood, D., Nisar, H., Yap, V. V., & Tsai, C-Y. (2022). The effect of music listening on EEG 

functional connectivity of brain: A short-duration and long-duration study. Mathematics, 10(3), 349. https://doi.org/10.3390/math10030349

[3] Ghasemi, F. (2023). Revisiting the effects of hypnotic suggestion on reading 

comprehension: The role of emotional intelligence and hypnotic suggestibility. Current Psychology, 42(14), 11759-11770. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02422-y

[4] Murrock, C. J. & Higgins, P. A. (2009). The theory of music, mood and movement to improve health outcomes. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 65(10), 2249-57. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2009.05108.x.

Learn about Dusha Nanthakumar