Music is like cocaine...without the nasty side-effects

Have you ever driven along in your vehicle when suddenly a familiar tune on the radio transports you back in time, eliciting memories of your grade 2 teacher, a house you lived in as a child, or that first make-out session with a boy (Sidenote -  Mom: "Making out" does not mean "going all the way." "Making out" is the equivalent to your 1960's definition of "necking." Clear? Love you!)

Music has a powerful effect on the brain. Although research is constant and ever evolving, there seems to be a common theme. First, studies of the brain have shown that listening to "pleasant" music (this, of course, is subjective. A love of Tiffany is not shared by all. Shocking), causes an elevation in serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain (the same 'feel good' neurotransmitters that are released when you are on cocaine). Essentially, music makes you feel good. It makes you "high." Oh dear. Someone in a small hick town will read my post and ban music and school dances forever, causing the teen community to host "underground" dances in barns and such...wait...wait...that's "Footloose." I digress. My point is that music is way cheaper (like 99 cents on itunes) with way less and horrific side effects than cocaine (I've watched "Intervention"on A&E. Never seen a music addict). The answer is music, not cocaine, my friends (duh). PS: contrary to what you may believe whilst ;) watching some of my incredibly whacked out videos, I am not "on" cocaine. I am "on" music. Just wanted to clear that up.

According to Davis, a researcher at the University of California,  there also appears to be a "hub" in our brain, located in the prefrontal cortex (right behind our forehead), where familiar music, memories, and emotions are linked. Interestingly, in Alzheimer's Disease, this area of the brain is one of the last to atrophy, which explains why someone with Alzheimer's may not recognize or be soothed by his wife; yet, can remember the words to his favorite song, which in turn, improves his mood. I have witnessed this firsthand with many of the patients in the hospital. Music is powerful. You hear a familiar song, it evokes an emotional reaction (good or bad) and the memories (good or bad) come flooding back to you. Awesome, right?

So, Heidi and I decided to really throw ourselves into character - relive the early 90's when she was a flute sensation and I was...not a flute sensation. We fluffed up the bangs (hers were quite incredible, really), threw on some frosty pink lipstick (LOVED wet 'n wild), and along with Evan, my lawyer (she's back!), and laywer's husband, we watched some old music videos from our past to test the theory of music = emotion= memory.

Disclaimer: the following pictures were taken after an emotionally draining week of work. Wine, hot rollers, and hairspray were involved. You may want to remove young children from the room.

Heidi's bangs are legit. She's the true flutist.

The flute causes us to stare dreamily into the distance

Did someone fart? No, we're just gazing dreamily off into the distance

Can someone please stop serving us wine?

Here are the results (I've conveniently linked each to the youtube music video for your viewing pleasure)

"Whoomp there it is" Tag Team, 1992 = Triumph = Yes, I just spiked the ball and it was unreturned. My volleyball team demonstrate their approval by forming a circle in the middle of the court, pointing to the opposing court (hence, totally humiliating the poor player who failed to return my spike), while cheering, "Whoomp, there it is!" Lame in retrospect. Incredibly triumphant at the time.

"Get Ready for This" 2 Unlimited, 1993 = Exhilaration = Picture my lawyer, donned in her fabulous figure skating costume, bearing the Canadian flag during the National Anthem at the Raider game. As she skates off, she hears that familiar and powerful synthesizer intro, "Y'all ready for this?"  Like, I don't know about you, but I'm pumped right now.

"Joyride" Roxette, 1991 = Hope = Picture a 12 year old curly haired, freckle-faced Evan, chillin' in his bedroom in Red Deer, blasting his favorite cassettes on his ghetto blaster. He dreams of someday owning a Mazda 626, picking up an unsuspecting blonde Saskatchewan girl, and takin' her on a joyride through the streets of PA. "She says hello, you fool, I love you. C'mon join the joyride...."

"More Than Words," Extreme, 1990 = Confusion = Picture my first boy/girl party. It's my first slow dance with a boy. Whoa. I am dancing with a boy! Whoa. He's touching my back! Boy is touching my back! Wait a minute...what is boy doing? Why is boy licking my neck? Ew, there's boy slobber on my neck! Is this supposed to happen when you slow dance with a boy?" Aaaaargh! What do I do? Do I wipe it off? Do I lick boy's neck now? I am so confused! "More than words...is all you have to do to make it real."

"Move This" Technotronic, 1993 = Sexy? = We don't know exactly what memory this evokes in Heidi's brain; however, the dance moves that erupt are reminiscent of Cindy Crawford's 1993 Revlon Commercial. Evan and Laywer's husband are transfixed on Heidi as she swings her hair back and forth...back and forth...back and forth...what? Oh uh sorry, lost myself there for a minute. Anyways, I'm pretty sure it's a sexy memory. I kinda want to know, but maybe not. "Shake that body for me."

Cindy:

Heidi (Yes, you will have to turn your head - trust me, it's worth it)

We ask Lawyer's husband to contribute a few of his song memories. He's oblivious to our request, staring off into the distance, reliving the memory of Heidi's hair tossing performance. You can bet that particular memory is safely being stored in his prefrontal cortex along with Technotronic's "Move This," and um...well, positive thoughts.  As the night comes to a close, we've proven, without a doubt, that music evokes emotion and memories. We can also conclude that we are all very happy -  music, does indeed, elevate the level of "happy" chemicals in the brain (as does the consumption of 3 bottles of wine). We are super happy, "high" on life,  and we did not snort cocaine.