Humans have long suspected that music is a kind of medicine. Plato and Aristotle believed song could purify the soul and promote mental health, and the ancient Egyptians treated their sick with chanting rituals. Today, neuroscience is starting to reveal the mechanisms by which music triggers healing in the brain; already it has been shown to help a range of issues from chronic pain, autism and depression to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Studies are also demonstrating how we might all use sound to diminish anxiety, soothe and uplift the mind — and that it could perhaps even lead to personal transformation.
長期以來，人類一直相信音樂可能有治療的功效。柏拉圖和亞里士多德認為歌曲可以凈化靈魂，促進心理健康，古埃及人用吟唱儀式來治療病人。今天，神經科學開始揭示音樂觸發大腦愈合的機制；音樂已經被證明可以幫助緩解一系列問題，包括慢性疼痛、自閉癥、抑郁癥、阿爾茨海默病和帕金森病。研究還表明，我們可以利用聲音來減少焦慮、撫慰提升心靈，甚至可能導致改變自己。