How playing an instrument benefits your brain - Anita Collins

彈奏樂器對腦的益處 – 安妮塔‧柯林斯

譯者: Ya Hui Hung 審譯者: Adrienne Lin

Did you know that every time musicians pick up their instruments,

知道每當音樂家彈奏他們的樂器時

there are fireworks going off all over their brain?

他們腦裡是到處在施放煙火嗎?

On the outside, they may look calm and focused,

由外表看來，他們很冷靜、專注

reading the music and making the precise and practiced movements required.

看著樂譜， 做出所需的準確和熟練動作

But inside their brains, there's a party going on.

但他們的腦裡正開著一個派對

How do we know this?

我們怎麼知道呢?

Well, in the last few decades,

在過去的幾十年中，

neuroscientists have made enormous breakthroughs

神經科學家對理解腦功能

in understanding how our brains work by monitoring them in real time

有了巨大的突破， 功歸於能即時監測腦功能的儀器

with instruments like fMRI and PET scanners.

例如，功能性磁振造影 (fMRI) 、 正電子發射計算機斷層掃描儀 (PET)

When people are hooked up to these machines,

這些儀器掃描顯示

tasks, such as reading or doing math problems,

閱讀、做數學題等行為

each have corresponding areas of the brain where activity can be observed.

引起腦內

相應的活動區域

But when researchers got the participants to listen to music,

但給研究參與者聽音樂時

they saw fireworks.

神經學家看到了煙火

Multiple areas of their brains were lighting up at once,

處理聲音的同時

腦裡多處同時亮起

as they processed the sound,

將其分解成旋律、節奏等元素

took it apart to understand elements like melody and rhythm,

and then put it all back together into unified musical experience.

而後再重新組合成 一個完整的音樂體驗

And our brains do all this work in the split second

這些大腦運作發生在

between when we first hear the music and when our foot starts to tap along.

聽到音樂和腳開始打節拍的一瞬間

But when scientists turned from observing the brains

而當科學家由觀察聆聽者的大腦

of music listeners to those of musicians,

轉至音樂家的大腦

the little backyard fireworks became a jubilee.

後院的小煙火變成了禧年慶典煙火

It turns out that while listening to music engages the brain

事實證明，聽音樂時

大腦忙碌於一些很有趣的活動

in some pretty interesting activities,

playing music is the brain's equivalent of a full-body workout.

而彈奏音樂是 相當於大腦的全身鍛鍊

The neuroscientists saw multiple areas of the brain light up,

神經科學家看到了腦內多處亮起

simultaneously processing different information

同時以複雜、

in intricate, interrelated, and astonishingly fast sequences.

互相關聯、驚人的快速序列 處理不同的訊息

But what is it about making music that sets the brain alight?

但究竟彈奏音樂是如何將大腦點亮?

The research is still fairly new,

雖然該研究才剛起步 但神經科學家有不錯的理念

but neuroscientists have a pretty good idea.

Playing a musical instrument

彈奏樂器同時動用到 大腦幾乎每區域

engages practically every area of the brain at once,

especially the visual, auditory, and motor cortices.

特別是視覺、聽覺、運動皮質

As with any other workout, disciplined, structured practice in playing music

猶如其它鍛鍊 有紀律、組織性的彈奏練習

strengthens those brain functions, allowing us to apply that strength

能加強這些腦功能

因而應用到別的活動

to other activities.

The most obvious difference between listening to music and playing it

聆聽和演奏音樂最明顯的差異

is that the latter requires fine motor skills,

是在後者需要精確運動技巧

which are controlled in both hemispheres of the brain.

這是受大腦兩邊半球控制

It also combines the linguistic and mathematical precision,

這也結合了大多處理 語言及數學精準度的

in which the left hemisphere is more involved,

左半腦

with the novel and creative content that the right excels in.

以及擅長處理新穎、 創造性內容的右半腦

For these reasons, playing music has been found

由於如此，演奏音樂被發現

to increase the volume and activity in the brain's corpus callosum,

能增加大腦胼胝體的容量與活動

the bridge between the two hemispheres,

胼胝體是大腦兩半球的橋梁

allowing messages to get across the brain faster and through more diverse routes.

讓訊息能以不同的路途 更快速的通過大腦

This may allow musicians to solve problems

這能使音樂家

more effectively and creatively, in both academic and social settings.

在學術和社會環境裡 更有效、有創意的解決問題

Because making music also involves crafting and understanding

因為演奏音樂也觸及塑造

和了解其感情內容與訊息

its emotional content and message,

musicians often have higher levels of executive function,

音樂家通常具有 較高水平的執行功能

a category of interlinked tasks

類屬有互相關聯的

that includes planning, strategizing, and attention to detail

計畫、策略、細節關注等

and requires simultaneous analysis of both cognitive and emotional aspects.

以及需要同時分析 認知和感情方面的任務

This ability also has an impact on how our memory systems work.

這種能力也能影響記憶系統的運作

And, indeed, musicians exhibit enhanced memory functions,

的確，音樂家有提高的記憶力功能

creating, storing, and retrieving memories more quickly and efficiently.

能更快、有效創造、儲存、重拾記憶

Studies have found that musicians appear to use their highly connected brains

研究發現音樂家似乎 用他們高度連接的大腦

to give each memory multiple tags,

給予每個記憶多個標籤

such as a conceptual tag, an emotional tag,

例如，概念性標籤、情感標籤、 聲音標籤、語境標籤等

an audio tag, and a contextual tag,

like a good Internet search engine.

猶如一個好的網路搜尋引擎

How do we know that all these benefits are unique to music,

那如何得知這些 是音樂特有的益處

as opposed to, say, sports or painting?

而不是運動或繪畫等會有的益處?

Or could it be that people who go into music

或者接觸音樂的人

were already smarter to begin with?

會不會一開始就比較聰明?

Neuroscientists have explored these issues, but so far,

神經科學家已探索這些問題 但目前為止，發現了

they have found that the artistic and aesthetic aspects

在學習演奏樂器的藝術、審美方面

of learning to play a musical instrument

are different from any other activity studied, including other arts.

不同於其它研究過的活動 包括其它藝術

And several randomized studies of participants,

一些隨機研究，在開始時

who showed the same levels

認知功能和神經處理 有相同水平的參與者

of cognitive function and neural processing at the start,

found that those who were exposed to a period of music learning

其中有受過一段音樂學習的人

showed enhancement in multiple brain areas, compared to the others.

相對於其他人， 顯示多個增強的腦區域

This recent research about the mental benefits of playing music

這有關演奏音樂對腦有益處的近期研究

has advanced our understanding of mental function,

提升了我們對腦功能的理解

revealing the inner rhythms and complex interplay

顯示出構成腦內精彩管弦樂團

that make up the amazing orchestra of our brain.

內在的節奏以及複雜的互動