62. Brain Harmony

When I was a kid in the 90s I was crazy about martial arts. They were popular in movies I loved like Enter The Dragon or The Three Ninjas, so I naturally wanted to learn to fight. My parents enrolled me in Karate classes. I enjoyed it for a few years, but eventually, gave it up for something else—learning the piano. I wanted to be a musician at church, so I started learning to play the piano. My dad had a keyboard (an electronic piano, not a typing keyboard), and the church I went to had some good musicians which was inspiring.

But my love for music goes way back. Even before learning to play the piano, I had a stereo system which I cherished. It was an escape and a source of pleasure. It was one of those systems with a radio, a CD player, and two tape players. It came with 2 separate speakers on which I blasted Blue (Da Ba Dee). The reason I mention this is that, strangely, the key to my ability to focus deeply is listening to music. With Spotify, I have a playlist cultivated especially for this. It is thumping high-tempo EDM like hardcore and techno, usually with melodic components. It makes me feel a certain way, and when I feel this way, I can perform at my best. (My salsa playlist if you are interested :)

I started thinking about activities that help cognitive function. Apart from music, you can often find me bouncing a leg while sitting or fidgeting with my hands. Here are three metaphors that help describe what goes on in my brain.

Amplifier for a Signal

Imagine your thoughts and ideas as signals being transmitted in your brain. Activities like fidgeting or taking a shower act as amplifiers, boosting the strength and clarity of these signals. They help your brain's "transmitter" work more effectively, making generating, processing, and connecting ideas easier.

Tuning a Radio

Your brain is like a radio that can be tuned to different frequencies. These activities help you find the right frequency for various tasks, such as focusing on work or coming up with creative ideas. Just as adjusting the dial improves the reception and clarity of a radio signal, these activities help fine-tune your mental state for optimal performance.

Clearing Static

Your brain can experience "static" or noise that disrupts clear thinking. Activities like taking a shower or walking help clear this static, allowing your thoughts to come through more clearly. It's like cleaning a dirty window to get a better view of the outside world.

Back to listening to music, why does it affect me so much? According to Andrew E. Budson, MD:

"Music activates just about all of the brain. Music has been shown to activate some of the broadest and most diverse networks of the brain. Of course, music activates the auditory cortex in the temporal lobes close to your ears, but that’s just the beginning. The parts of the brain involved in emotion are not only activated during emotional music, they are also synchronized. Music also activates a variety of memory regions. And, interestingly, music activates the motor system. In fact, it has been theorized that it is the activation of the brain’s motor system that allows us to pick out the beat of the music even before we start tapping our foot to it!"

So it is not just me, music may be important to humans generally. Yesterday, I wrote about fun and its importance in elite performance. Listening to music is a shortcut to fun. It seems like the brain in harmony enables peak performance. Maybe you need silence to focus, but the crucial point is to think about how you can cultivate and encourage your brain’s harmony.

PS: While writing this post, I was repeatedly listening to this.