Can music and sound affect your mood and brain power? Many researchers believe specific sounds, beats or music may be able to encourage positive thinking, boost moods, and improve cognitive processes. Jayson is a big believer in it, too, and even plays music throughout the office!
If we all know that music can make us feel happy, inspired, creative, reflective — or, more likely, a mix of it all! — then doesn’t it make sense that different frequencies can do the same? It might seem a little out-there, but there’s actually a science to the way different frequencies can unlock your mind – and your potential.
Auditory beat stimulation (ABS) is the idea that using sound waves at different frequencies can generate beneficial effects in the brain. Some extremely low-frequency sound waves may help with relaxation, and others may improve focus and alertness. So, how does this affect business endeavors and our day-to-day lives? Let’s take a closer look at ABS.
The Effects of ABS
Sound waves are captured by the human ear, then processed by the brain as certain tones or pitches. In many ways, this is how people understand and appreciate music, which is just a series of tones heard in time.
If you hear a low-frequency tone, the pitch sounds low. You hear a high-frequency tone, and the pitch sounds high. The average human ear can detect sound waves from about 20 Hz (cycles per second) to 20,000 kHz. ABS is effectively the study and practice of using various frequencies to stimulate the human brain toward certain effects.
The interesting thing is that a lot of the most calming sound frequencies aren’t even technically audible. That is, the human ear can’t hear them. For instance, sound waves from 4 to 13 Hz are thought to produce relaxation and reduce anxiety, even though they can’t be heard by the human ear.
How ABS Works
As various audible sound frequencies are introduced to the human ear, a perceptible “beat” can be heard, if the frequencies are not identical. If the frequencies are far apart, you would normally hear musical harmonies. If they’re only a few Hz apart, you would hear a clashing sound, as if the music were out of tune.
ABS leverages these physical phenomena to produce precisely targeted beats with mathematically precise differences in frequencies. Because the frequencies are so low, they are not audible — but they do indeed affect the brain.
Some studies have shown that ABS actually alters synaptic activity in the human brain, and positive results have been reported, including better sleep, fuller relaxation, and reduced anxiety and stress.
ABS and Entrepreneurial Leadership
A boost from the effects of ABS means enhanced thinking that comes from better sleep and less anxiety, then entrepreneurial leadership should grow by leaps and bounds through ABS. Creativity could quite possibly become totally unleashed, and who knows what you could achieve?
For Better Rest and Better Focus
While extremely low frequencies seem to reduce stress and anxiety, some low frequencies in the audible range — around 40 Hz — seem to stimulate the frontal lobe and increase the brain’s ability to focus. It could be that using ABS therapy is the way forward for major potential breakthroughs, not just in human thought but also in well-being. If everyone were a little more fulfilled through better rest and lower anxiety levels – and if everyone had a leg up through a better ability to focus and reason clearly – who knows how much could be accomplished? Perhaps ABS could be a powerful resource in your pursuit of achieving your goals, big or small.