As humans, we all enjoy the sound of music at some point. Whether it is a loud pitch or a soft melody, there is something about music that helps us love it. As someone very passionate about making his own music, John Walsh was always a fan of listening to music. Whether it was a sunny day or a rainy night, John and his love for music never faded.
He believed that music always held a lot of power in his life. One of the most important characteristics of music for John is its “rewarding” feature. As we listen to music, dopamine, a “happy chemical”, is released into our bodies which activates the striatum. Thus, just like other rewarding stimuli like food, music is also a reward for the human body. This is another reason why music helps reduce pain and anxiety. As this happy hormone is released in our body, it overcomes any type of stress that our body would be feeling. Therefore, music is a great tool to stimulate the brain.
For John music has always been a necessity. Music has been his support system since he was a child. Whenever he did not feel like engaging in any conversation, he would put on some music. Or whenever he was excited, he would sing along with whatever was available to play. As a result, it became a way of expression for him. He found both, peace and fun, at the same time whenever he was listening to music. Thus, music started playing a very important role in his life as he knew it could never leave. From doing boring math homework to doing hyperactivities like exercising, music was very important for John. He states that otherwise, activities like jogging can become monotonous if we do it without the sound of music. Moreover, recent research has proven that relaxing music tends to lower heart rate and blood pressure after any physical activity. As a result, listening to music is not only a good way to enjoy exercise but also helps us stay healthy.
However, for musicians like John, music was also about the fact that it helped him connect with thousands of people from around the world. Despite the distance, he knew that his voice was heard in every corner of the globe. The idea to reach thousands of people and the ability to be a source of comfort to them encouraged John to work on making more music every day.
Right after graduating from the University of Yale in 2010 Nicole started working as a freelance journalist and wrote numerous articles regarding the effects of global warming and climate change. She has worked with some of the most renowned environmental publications. Apart from being a columnist, Nicole is also an active campaigner for a climate change.
