Over the past decades, many studies have been conducted on the positive effects of piano on brain function and cognitive abilities. Scientists and brain researchers have found that people who play have positive changes in their brains. So here are the benefits of regular piano practice:
- Improved social interaction skills: playing the piano alone is unlikely to make you the most popular guy or gal at your school, university, or in your town, but it has been proven that people who play musical instruments are more open to social interaction; playing a musical instrument makes people more open and helps them meet new people, which in turn positively stimulates the brain.
- Ability to multitask: regular piano exercises can teach the brain to be alert and active. How? When you play the piano, your brain has to work on several tasks simultaneously: keeping the beat, watching the pitch, forming chords, maintaining posture and controlling breathing, coordinating the work of the right and left hands when playing the 88 keys of a standard piano!
- Improving brain function: Over the past few years, researchers have discovered that people who play the piano have a different brain structure than people who don’t. For example, pianists are better at solving problems, learning foreign languages, being spontaneous, making decisions, and interacting with different groups of people.
- Relieving problems: playing the piano can sometimes be exhausting for the psyche, but it distracts the brain from problems, serves as a kind of therapy, and therefore can prevent the manifestation of diseases such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and stroke. In addition, those who play the piano every day feel independent and build self-esteem, which makes the brain happier.
- Help with goal setting: When learning to play the piano, a pianist sets short-term and long-term goals. For example, to learn a new piece. Setting goals is essential for the human brain and the habit of setting them is very useful. Scientists have found that having goals and striving to achieve them reorganizes the brain. In addition, when pianists are goal-oriented and have a specific goal in mind, they suffer less from mental health problems such as depression.
The above suggests that piano playing is more than just a hobby. The ability to play the piano is a treasure!