Good morning, the program today is about music. The word "music" comes from the Greek word "muse". The Muses are the goddesses of the arts. Music is only one of the arts. It is like the spoken language, but it uses sounds. Today's program brings together music from different corners of the world. Who invented music? Who sang the first song? No one knows exactly the answers to these questions. But we know that music plays an important part in almost everyone's life. Babies and young children love to hear people singing to them. When they are a little older, they like to sing the songs they have heard. When children go to school, their world of music grows. In the middle grades students take music lessons. When they reach high school, they become interested in listening to pop music.

The records we have chosen for you today are from American country music, Indian music, pop music and so on. Music has meaning for everyone. It can make people happy or it can make them sad. In this program we shall study the language of music. We shall be trying to find out more about how music works. We shall try to find out how music says what people feel.

Now, here comes the music today. I shall explain why they are all good music.

Many students often choose to listen to music while doing their homework or studying for exams. But is listening to music a smart choice for students who want to improve their learning?

Indeed, music makes life better in so many ways. It elevates(振奋) mood, reduces stress and eases pain. Music is heart-healthy, because it can reduce blood pressure and heart rate. It also connects us with others and deepens social relationships. Music can even enhance our enjoyment of challenging activities.

But the effect of music on cognitive tasks appears not to be “one-size-fits-all”. A new study by Manuel Gonzalez of Baruch College and John Aiello of Rutgers University suggests that for some students, listening to music while learning is a wise strategy, but for others, it is not.

Whether or not listening to music will benefit your mental work depends on your personality—specifically, on your need for external stimulation(外部刺激). People with a high requirement for external stimulation tend to get bored easily. They often do worse when listening to music while engaging in a mental task, while people with a low need for external stimulation, on the other hand, tend to improve their mental performance with music.

Moreover, before students decide to put on their earphones, though, they should carefully consider their musical selection. Complexity(复杂性) of the music seems to promote excitement, and it is suggested that a moderate level of excitement produces ideal performance. When there is too little or too much excitement, performance drops. Thus, the benefits of music for those with a low need for external stimulation could decrease or even disappear with the added complexity of music.

Similarly, the rise in the complexity of a cognitive task might also reduce or wipe out the benefit of music. With a highly challenging cognitive task, even those with a low need for external stimulation may fail to show such an effect with music.

The study brings to our notice that only with the right personality, music and task can the presence of music significantly improve cognitive functioning. So next time when you want to switch on the music before you study, please think twice.

Powering up with a Catchy Tune

When watching sports events, we often notice athletes with their earphones on while preparing in the locker room or entering the stadium.They keep their eyes shut, and gently nod along the beats. It seems as if the music is empowering them and toughening（使更坚强）.

According to recent research, it turns out there is. Music actually does make us feel powerful, but not all songs have the same effect.

The research was led by Dennis Hsu of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in the US. His team had people listen to 31 songs of different types. The listeners felt powerful after listening to some songs, such as Queen’s We will Rock You and 2 Unlimited—Get Ready for This.

Researchers also found that high-power music made people want to take control in social events and come first in competition. That matters a lot in sports. “It’s commonly said that sports are 90 percent mental and only10 percent physical,” The HuffPost reported.

Great athletes know this idea well. Former NBA player Kobe Bryant, for example, often put on big headphones and even did a little meditation to boost his game and ease his anxiety.

As for the reason for music’s magical power, Hsu’s team came up with one possible explanation: when people hear music that expresses a sense of power, they mimic（模拟）these feelings in their mind. When choosing music, we also need to look at the type of music, according to researchers.

In previous research by the Music in Exercise and Sport Group at Brunel University in London, they found that pop was perfect for slower, more repetitive-type tasks. If you’re warming up or cooling down after exercises.

Dance music was found to be best suited to strength and weight training because it’s “fast and rhythmical（有节奏感的）”.

During high-intensity（高强度的）workouts, though（节拍）can affect your rhythm.