5 Research-Proven Reasons People Who Go To A Lot Of Concerts Live Happier Lives, According To A Music Psychologist
Concert tickets may be expensive, but live music has countless benefits!
Ground Picture | Shutterstock If you're searching for an excuse to drop money on a concert ticket, look no further. Research shows that attending live concerts may be the key to a happier existence.
"As a music psychologist, I can tell you — concerts aren’t just fun, they’re good for you," Sophia Omarji, host of "The Sound Mind Podcast" declared. In a recent Threads post, she shared five reasons why concerts are so beneficial.
Here are 5 research-proven reasons people who go to a lot of concerts live happier lives:
1. Concerts improve well-being.
Melinda Nagy | Shutterstock
"Live music triggers the release of dopamine — the brain’s feel-good chemical," Omarji explained. Even just listening to your favorite tunes on your phone or a speaker engages brain pleasure pathways, research shows, but live music is especially powerful.
"Concert goers have been shown to achieve an increase in wellbeing after just 20 minutes at a gig," Omarji added, referring to research conducted by UK music venue O2 and Patrick Fagan, an expert in behavioral science. They found that 20 minutes of live music increases wellbeing by 21%, whereas yoga only yields a 10% increase.
The more regularly you attend concerts, the happier you will be. "Those who attend live concerts once a fortnight and more were the most likely to score their happiness, contentment, productivity and self-esteem at the highest level (10/10)," the researchers wrote, "suggesting that regularly experiencing live music is the key to building a long-standing improvement to wellbeing."
2. Live music can make you live longer.
The same research found that fortnightly live-music attendance — that is, once every two weeks — can increase life expectancy by nine years. If that's not incentive to buy that concert ticket, I don't know what is. Consider this permission to count that Sabrina Carpenter ticket as an investment in a long life.
3. Concerts strengthen social bonds.
"The feeling of singing in unison at a concert is unmatched, right?" Omarji said. "Group music experiences create deep social connections, so who knows — you might just meet a new friend, or strengthen the relationship you have with the person you’re already there with."
Research shows that singing out loud with others releases oxytocin, otherwise known as the "love drug." This hormone is associated with trust, arousal, and bonding. The oxytocin release, combined with the community inherent in a concert, increases feelings of belonging and strengthens social bonds, so be sure to belt out the lyrics at your next concert!
4. Going to concerts can enhance memory and emotion processing.
Drazen Zigic | Shutterstock
There's a reason that music can evoke powerful emotions. "Music also lights up nearly all of the brain — including the hippocampus and amygdala, which activate emotional responses to music through memory; the limbic system, which governs pleasure, motivation, and reward; and the body’s motor system," Harvard Medicine explained.
Again, live music is especially powerful. Research shows that live music elicits "significantly higher and more consistent amygdala activity" and emotional processing than recorded music. "Unlike recorded music, live performances are multi-sensory experiences," Omarji added. "The visuals, crowd energy, and real-time improvisation make the memory created even stronger."
5. Concerts encourage physical movement and exercise.
It's hard not to dance when you're at a concert. Everyone around you is bumping to the music, and it's whether you are truly grooving or just jumping up and down, you are burning calories. "Dancing and moving at concerts can burn as many calories as a light workout," Omarji claimed.
In general, a person burns between 300 and 600 calories per hour when dancing, though it depends on the intensity.
Audrey Jaber is a writer and associate editor with a bachelor's degree in journalism.