Healthy effects of music

Don’t stop believin’ … music can make you happy.
I keep hearing this Kaiser Permanente commercial on the radio, which talks about how music makes us happy.
And it does. A song can come on and totally change my mood. I can be driving to work early on a Monday morning tired and kinda bleh and then all of a sudden a fun and good beat comes on and I am rockin’ out. There are the few songs that I hear that make me sad or really reflect about something in my life. But for the most part, most songs put me in a good mood or keep me in a good mood.
And since I am on the this mini research kick I thought I would see what I could find online from some experts. (This is what happens when I am stuck at home recuperating from my mini cold.)
According to WebMD, if you make music, that can help you reduce stress. Apparently casual music-making can short-circuit the stress response.
According to eMedExpert, music can have positive effects on pain management. The article also states that music is one of the few activities that involves using the whole brain.
An About.com article talks about how music has a profound effect on the body and psyche.
Think about a favorite song and how you feel whenever you hear it. For me, one of my favorite songs is I Will Survive. This is a great song when you are out on the dance floor. I love it. It’s so much fun. That is just one of many that make me feel good and happy.