What’s your favorite type of music? Classical? Hip-hop? Jazz? Researchers from the University of Helsinki found that listening to tunes helped stroke patients recover their mental functions and lessened their confusion and depression. Observing 60 patients, they found that those who listened to music and received standard care improved their motor skills by 60 percent compared with those who only received standard care. Their ability to pay attention and solve conflicts also improved by 17 percent.
Lead author Teppo Sarkamo says that their findings are encouraging but that more research is needed. “I would caution people not to interpret this as evidence that music listening works for every individual patient,” he tells website WebMD. “Rather than an alternative, music listening should be considered as an addition to other active forms of therapy such as speech therapy or neuropsychological rehabilitation.”
