The French will be able to enjoy a deconfined Music Festival on Monday, without a mask or curfew.

For the occasion, Doctor Jimmy Mohamed, health consultant from Europe 1, discusses the psychological and physical benefits of music, especially in times of crisis.

Every day of the week, in the morning of Europe 1, Doctor Jimmy Mohamed looks at how to maintain our health on a daily basis.

This Monday, on the occasion of the Fête de la musique, he is interested in the benefits of music, both on the mind and the body.

Its relaxing virtues are also able to soothe physical pain.

According to a Spanish study, it would also have enabled many people to better cope with the Covid-19 health crisis.

How does music affect the brain?

"Music softens mores. We have all experienced it one day: music can quite simply change your mood and this is physiologically explained. The center responsible for hearing in the brain, also called the auditory cortex , is directly linked to that of the reward, explaining the pleasure that one can have in listening to music. It is also observed in babies, who will be calmed by the song of a lullaby. music, they will produce oxytocin, also known as the love or attachment hormone.

Music activates so many circuits in the brain that it actually creates what is called a neural symphony.

Music has also helped many French people to hold out during the various confinements, if we are to believe a Spanish study which looked at the management of stress during Covid-19 in more than 1,000 people living in Europe and in the USA.

It emerges that music ranks at the top of the most comforting activities for nearly 20% of those questioned, ahead of films, series, but also sport and cooking.

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Find Jimmy Mohamed's column every morning at 8:37 am on Europe 1 as well as in replay and podcast here

Can music have effects on the body?

But that's not all.

We know that music also helps relieve physical pain, because it will modulate the pain centers in the brain, and help distract you.

It is estimated that just listening to a piece of music that you like can reduce the level of pain you feel by up to 90%.

But can music also help us in our work?

Yes, that's what several studies show.

Here again, music in business, for example, can stimulate creativity.

The music would block the system responsible for the inhibitions, which would simply allow us to be more creative.

Other studies have shown that the practice of singing in the form of a choir increases the cohesion of a group as well as mutual trust. "