What If There Was No Music?

WHAT IF

11/3/2023

Could you live without music?

Transcript

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]

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