Letter from the President May 2020
“Music and Emotions During COVID-19”
Music has been a feature of cultures throughout human history and is said to be the “language of
the emotions.” Humans have used anything at hand to make music - to create a rhythmic beat that
moves body and soul. During a crisis such as COVID-19, it is important to know that listening to
music can change a person’s mood and emotions for better or worse.
I found this to be true when my 26-year old granddaughter, Katie Nickell, emailed me a copy of her
latest rendition of Leonard Cohen’s song, Hallelujah. Katie’s voice had matured and, as I listened to
her sing from her heart, I was touched deeply and found myself filled with incredible joy and peace.
My concerns about how the coronavirus had forced our Institute to work from home vanished.
Music can do that. It can take us to another place emotionally.
How can music change our mood and emotions for better or worse? Research has found that music
that is consonant is viewed as pleasurable and lovely, while music that is dissonant is judged to be
unpleasant or depressing. Studies of the physiology of music have found a link between the
amygdala and limbic system, and an interaction with the prefrontal cortex of the brain. The
hippocampus in the midbrain stores for our long-term memory a record of what music we like and
don’t like.
Furthermore, the brainstem sends signals through the efferent fibers of the vagus nerve to the
cardiovascular and respiratory systems affecting respiration and heart rate. Fibers from the vagus
nerve also reach the organs of our abdomen. In other words, music impacts not just our central
nervous system but also, through the autonomic nervous system, our entire body and emotions.
I sent Katie my thanks and began sharing her song with friends including two of our online COVID
support groups. Replies of thanks and praise began to fill my inbox, with many asking if they could
forward Katie’s song to their friends. I sent Katie copies of the words of praise that I had received. In
turn, Katie was blessed. Music can do that. It can bring people who are separated together again.
Locked away in our homes, often alone, we can easily become isolated and, if that happens, soon
we are captured by sadness and soon depression can overwhelm us. But, play Katie’s rendition of
Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah and the despair coronavirus can bring is long gone!
Music can do that for us. It can change our mood and emotions better than any pill, drink of
alcohol, or an hour spent on a psychotherapist’s couch. Play your favorite piece of music and watch
your coronavirus blues fly away.
John K. Graham, MD, DMin
President & CEO
Institute for Spirituality and Health