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Primary Submission Category: Environmental factors
The Music Pandemic: From Lower Latent Inhibition To Addiction. Should Population Health Science Be Raising A Warning Flag?
Authors: Warren Brodsky, Evangelos Himonides,
Presenting Author: Warren Brodsky*
Never before in the history of humanity has background music been so omnipresent; music is an inseparable part of human experience. Long ago research found that music exposure can enhance cognition, learning, memory, and performance; reduce stress and anxiety; manage pain and boost wellbeing; as well as increase motivation and enjoyment. Expectations have been placed on music’s positive effects for population health. The expansion of this phenomenon has been unstoppable. Citizens of modern Western societies have adapted to constantly accompanying their daily activity with sound: sleeping or waking hours; working or leisure; physical activity, concentrated study, or mental imagery; industry, office, or creative work; driving, shopping, eating, exercising, romanticizing, and socializing. Whether in public or in private domains there is music exposure, relentlessly molding a habitual increasing connection between environment, neuroanatomical function, and ensuing responses including social behavior. Mobile music (e.g., car radios and transistors) inspired technologies like the Walkman, Discman, MP3 Player, and Smartphone Apps streaming online music and Podcasts to Bluetooth earphones. The current theoretical paper raises a provocative question: Is it possible, that too much sound input can cause harm? Should we begin to question if consistent daily music exposure with doses accumulating to over 6 hours per day, might place population health at risk? That is: Can persistent engagement with audio cause humans to develop unique neurofunctional and motor behavioral patterns or inimitable personological characteristics? Perhaps neural circuitry may become maladaptive in efficiently filtering irreverent stimuli. Headphones and EarPods which provide high quality listening experiences, also engender an impenetrable auditory bubble sanctioning the eclipse of social exchanges. Will the future see the establishment of sanitariums for silence as a form of detoxing sonic addiction?