SAEDNEWS: For years, doctors have recognized the therapeutic power of music and have been using it to treat patients with mental health conditions. Animals, of course, are no exception. In recent years, veterinarians have increasingly explored harnessing the power of music for both complementary therapy and even training purposes.
Beautiful and calming music has an extraordinary and even therapeutic effect on the human mind and soul. This type of music has a strategic impact on the spirit, bringing it peace and reassurance, and can even evoke feelings of joy or sadness. Interestingly, the same effects can occur in animals. What is the relationship between music and all living beings?
Music also affects animals in various ways; it can calm them and reduce their pain. Here, we aim to examine the positive effects of music on pets.
Do animals enjoy all types of music?
Modern scientific research has shown that animals are directly influenced by music. For example, their heart rate changes in response to the rhythm and melody of a song, and their blood pressure fluctuates. These physiological responses indicate that, like humans, animals have their own musical preferences.
For instance, sometimes when you are listening to rock music, your cat may leave the room and move away from the sound source. However, when you play a relaxing piece, such as a calm composition by Tchaikovsky, the cat becomes visibly relaxed, clearly enjoying the music.
Classical music, due to its rhythm and structural patterns, helps stimulate serotonin production in the brain. Serotonin is one of the hormones associated with feelings of happiness in both humans and animals.
If animals enjoy a piece of music, they tend to approach the sound source to maximize their enjoyment. Music can even serve as a therapeutic tool for animals, alleviating physical pain as well as behavioral aggression caused by mistreatment, loneliness, grief, emotional trauma, or other negative emotions. Moreover, animals that are strongly bonded to their owners may mirror the emotional and psychological states of their humans; therefore, music can have a positive impact on these loyal creatures.
Wild animals, in contrast, may never experience the same stressors that domestic pets face. Thus, pets living with us in artificial environments may suffer from certain harms. By utilizing the positive aspects of civilization and technology, we can help them overcome stress through music.
The impact of music on animals
Music is widely used as a therapeutic method to improve human mental health and is recognized as a branch of medicine under the term “music therapy.” Recent research has revealed that music affects animals similarly to humans. Therefore, music produced at specific frequencies can have therapeutic effects even on animals.
The effect of music on dogs is particularly strong. When dogs hear well-known musical pieces, they perk up their ears and prepare to respond.
Wolves, on the other hand, are extremely sensitive to music. In many Russian villages, farmers play musical instruments to drive wolves away from the area.
Elephants appear happy when listening to music, which explains why circuses wait for the orchestra to play before elephants perform.
Spiders stop spinning webs when they hear music.
Lions become motionless when music is played. One French painter hired an orchestra to play music so that the lions in the Paris zoo would remain still long enough for him to paint them. Female lions and their cubs enjoyed it immensely; however, if a violinist approached the cage, the mother would start growling, and the cubs would hide behind her.
When flute or violin music is reflected in water, the fish in ponds often stop moving to listen in the middle of the water.
A German zoologist and musician composed a piece that causes chickens to lay eggs earlier than usual.
The effects of music on cows, cats, and birds are remarkable: it reduces stress and anxiety, increases milk production in cows, and prevents aggressive behaviors in cats.
Jackals, during music playback, squat quietly in their shelter but try to flee and attack the musician once the music stops. When the music resumes, they calm down again and return to their place. This experiment was repeated multiple times with consistent results.
At the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, a gorilla that had previously been difficult to handle calmed significantly when a harp was played, allowing the zookeeper to touch it safely. Researchers concluded that both wild and domestic animals can benefit from listening to harp music, though their reactions differ. For instance, melodies that calm one animal may not relax another. Schneider, a harpist involved in the project, stated that he uses specific melodies for each animal, which relax their muscles, reduce nervous tension, and promote restful sleep while minimizing awareness of pain.
Many bear hunters in Africa and America use the flute to hunt bears. The bear loses its balance when hearing the flute, stands on its left paw and leg, and hunters capture it immediately.
