Does Music Affect Plant Growth, Like It Impacts Animal And Human Lives?

Do you love listening to music? Why do you listen to songs? People who listen to music on an everyday basis definitely know the pleasure that comes with songs and music. It acts as an escape for many people, as music helps them deal with situations or vent their emotions.

Our world has different genres of music, and people can choose what they want to listen to depending on their mood. For instance, joyful songs bring happiness or calmness, while sad tunes validate that emotion or feeling.

Are you aware that music therapy is a real thing? Let’s learn about it in our next section.

Also Read: What Causes Preserved Food To Get Contaminated?

What Is Music Therapy?

Music has often been proven to evoke healing benefits if a person is emotionally or mentally disturbed. If the person is dealing with some physical ailments, then music can also help to subside the pain and deal with the tough times.

So, music therapies are given by trained practitioners to the needy as they help to meditate, move the body as per the beat of the music, sing songs, and play a new instrument, all of which can heal and improve the well-being of a person.

As we read, different types of music are available, so people use them to deal with different conditions. Healing music also boosts a person’s confidence and can even be used as chanting to protect oneself from evil spirits.

Role of Music in Animals and Humans

Nowadays, almost every person suffers from some medical issue. More than half of the population suffers from common disorders like high or low blood pressure, insomnia, mood swings, anxiety, depression, stress, and more. Music therapy sessions given to these people by trained practitioners lower patient's symptoms as they help with pain, trauma, stress, and mood management. A good mood is the key to quick recovery and better health.

Music has a profound effect on animal behaviour and physiology that has been studied through various experiments conducted on laboratory animals to improve their welfare. Music induces changes that can occur in brain chemistry, cognition, and other areas in animals, and these changes could produce similar effects to those produced in humans. The potential effects of music are being studied on laboratory animals, depending on the type of species and the music.

Also Read - Blindness: How Much Can Visually Impaired People See?

Influence of Music on Plant Growth

We are aware that plants lack a nervous system, i.e., the brain, but they can still sense or understand their surroundings. They have the sense to perceive sunlight, touch, the scent of insects (insectivores), wind, and even gravity. How amazing it is that plants can respond to so many factors, sound being one of them.

Numerous scientific studies have shown that music promotes the healthy growth of plants. It is the vibrations of the music or sound that the plants perceive, like light, and react accordingly. More leaves, better height, and quicker growth were some of the characteristics observed in plants exposed to music.

Initially, experiments were conducted on plants to test the effect of the sounds of insects. The vibrations of these insects were noted to understand how the plants were being impacted. The caterpillar feeds on the leaves, which were the subject of the experiment; the movement of leaves as a response to the herbivore feeding was noted, and these recordings were played later. It was seen that vibrating plants produced more mustard oils.

Continuous studies were then done to learn the effect of music on plants. Though a large community believes that plants do not have feelings and do not respond to sounds, this topic is still hotly debated.

Scientific Studies Supporting the Fact: Plants Like Music

Dr TC Singh, a renowned scientist, proposed that after his experiments, seeds that were exposed to music bore better plants with more leaves, good height, and other enhanced characteristics. He concluded that music might have influenced the genetic makeup of the plants. Other scientists like Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, Luther Burbank, Eugene Candy, and more conducted similar experiments that reinforced Singh’s findings.

Some studies say that jazz music has the most beneficial effects, while country music does not produce any effects at all. The higher vibrations in jazz music influence plant growth by improving overall health. However, some studies propose that plants may react equally to music, irrespective of its genre.

The studies of music's effect on plants are highly debatable, as no prominent and conclusive results have shown that all plants respond to music. It is the sound waves or vibrations that trigger the plant cells and enhance nutrient transportation and circulation throughout the plant.

Also Read: How Does Heavy Rainfall Affect The Soil And Animals?