A common form of expression is music and it can affect the brain in many ways.

Music is connected to memories. The brain releases chemicals and neurotransmitters that process the music in the right hemisphere.These chemicals and neurotransmitters include serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.

Dopamine can make one feel pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation. Serotonin can regulate behavior, mood, memory, and gastrointestinal homeostasis. These neurotransmitters are connected to memory and moods. When they are active they can provide many different reactions. “Music is more attached to memory than it is to moods,”said psychology teacher Julie Tuuk.

These memories are more often therapeutic for good memories. When a person remembers these memories, they often feel the emotion tied with these memories.

Listening to music and making it engages your brain. When the brain is engaged it can release Dopamine. Even if the music is not necessarily a well known piece by the listener it can still affect their emotions.

According to the Community Center of Boston, playing an instrument is a skill, it also helps to bolster low self-esteem by imparting a sense of achievement. The Community Center of Boston is a place where people can go to make music with others. The dopamine surge and good mood that comes with performing can be a healthy way to cope with low mood or forms of mental illness.

When music is produced in a group it engages the medial prefrontal cortex. When people play or perform music with others, another person can almost figure out exactly what they are thinking. When a person listens to happy music or performs it more often than not puts them into a better mood. According to Tallahassee Memorial Care, music especially performed in groups makes you happier.

Playing and performing music can also strengthen the memory. When people are taught certain pieces of music they learn to put forth the emotion of the piece. This can lead to people having a better understanding of their emotions and the emotions of the music itself. This can help us understand others and can be a way to cope.

Music is often seen as a type of therapy for certain people, the Cleveland Clinic reports. The Cleveland Clinic specializes in neurology and it is ranked the second best hospital in the United States. It can be an escape or they can get lost in themselves. It depends on the person and the memories attached to the song they are listening to.