Could you live without music?
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TVTranscript
00:00 (Applause)
00:04 Disconcerting, isn't it?
00:13 This is WHAT IF,
00:15 and here's what life would be like
00:17 if we didn't have music.
00:19 It's hard to imagine life without music.
00:22 I'm not just talking about the death of Spotify
00:25 or the iPod.
00:27 I'm talking about the complete absence of melody.
00:31 No more ringtones, alarms or alerts.
00:34 No bird calls,
00:36 or cat calls.
00:38 No whistling or humming.
00:41 And a lot more awkward elevator rides.
00:44 But music is more than just a soundtrack to our lives.
00:47 It's the basis of how we understand one another.
00:51 Baby talk, the way a parent speaks to their child,
00:54 is one of the earliest examples of humans manipulating sounds
00:58 and intonations to help communicate.
01:01 Speaking this way helps a child develop language skills.
01:05 And researchers also believe that baby talk
01:08 was the precursor to vocal music.
01:11 So it's no surprise that for thousands of years,
01:14 the melodic sounds of man and beast
01:17 have been vital to mating,
01:19 community building, and mental well-being.
01:22 As Friedrich Nietzsche put it,
01:24 "Without music, life would be a mistake."
01:27 Would you be willing to survive in silence?
01:31 The fact that the world's streaming music services
01:33 are worth about $10 billion annually,
01:36 and that an estimated 152 million live concert tickets
01:40 are sold every year,
01:41 should tell you how much we love our music.
01:44 The average American listens to roughly 32 hours of music per week.
01:48 It seems we humans can't live without it.
01:51 But what if we were forced to?
01:54 How would we cope with the sudden loss of an industry
01:56 worth $130 billion,
01:59 and a medium that's intrinsically tied to health and happiness?
02:03 Well, economically speaking, we'd be okay.
02:06 Instead of buying concert tickets,
02:08 people would pay to attend lectures,
02:10 and listen to their favorite stand-up comedians.
02:13 Podcast subscriptions would skyrocket,
02:15 and we might actually become more informed and insightful,
02:19 since news and talk radio would rule the airwaves.
02:22 Unfortunately, movies, television, and theater
02:26 would lose a lot of their drama,
02:28 unless you really like impassioned monologues.
02:36 But if you'd rather do the talking,
02:38 then get yourself a therapist.
02:40 Not only because it's good for you,
02:41 but because going without music
02:43 would practically make therapy a necessity.
02:46 Music has been proven to release endorphins in the brain,
02:50 helping to ease stress and increase feelings of happiness and excitement.
02:54 Music also has physical benefits,
02:56 such as its ability to ease bodily pain,
02:59 and to help stabilize your immune system.
03:02 For example, a team of researchers in Finland
03:05 found that stroke victims who listened to two hours of music every day
03:09 recovered faster than those who didn't.
03:12 The one thing that might improve with music's absence is road safety.
03:16 A study in 2013 showed that
03:18 when listening to music while driving,
03:20 drivers made more mistakes and were more aggressive behind the wheel.
03:25 A similar experiment revealed that
03:27 students who listened to music while studying also became distracted,
03:31 which resulted in lower test scores
03:33 than their peers who weren't listening to anything.
03:36 But while music distracts some people,
03:38 it also helps other people remember things.
03:41 When treating for memory loss,
03:43 doctors have found that patients can recall specific song lyrics and melodies,
03:47 even if they've forgotten other basics,
03:50 like an address or their own birth date.
03:53 Music might also help you get more sleep.
03:56 If you're among the 40 million Americans who have chronic sleep disorders,
03:59 then play something soothing.
04:01 It's helped others before.
04:04 So instead of demanding more peace and quiet,
04:07 maybe you should change your tune.
04:09 Not only would a life without music be incredibly bleak and boring,
04:14 it would also affect your well-being,
04:16 inhibit your creativity,
04:17 and make you less motivated.
04:19 Whatever your genre,
04:20 play it loudly and proudly.
04:22 When someone asks you to turn down the volume,
04:25 show them this video.
04:26 And for more sound ideas,
04:28 just keep watching What If.
04:30 [MUSIC]