I want to introduce You my friend and a very interesting personality from California, USA – Marek Booth.
Marek, let’s tell the people the story of your life! Who are you?
Hi! My name is Marek Booth and I just recently finished my bachelor work in both German studies as well as Biology.
What exactly have you done?
I have done work in the research of stress on the cardiac system and its effects on learning ability in University students, and how music aids in alleviation.
Further on in my life, its my goal to do further physiological research as a doctor, particularly working with extreme environments such as space or deep-sea living, particularly analyzing its effects on the central and peripheral nervous system.
Which conclusion was a result of your research?
We utilized different genres of music, namely, Alpha Wave, classical, and metal, and then we tested the efficacy of alpha wave music and the other genres of music and their effects on heart rate, stress and memory. We have seen that Alpha wave music lowers heart rate and stress levels but it hardly helps for concentration. With classical music, we have found that our autonomic nervous system makes a synchronization with the rhythm of the music and not only lowers stress and the heartbeat but it also improves concentration and memory retention. For further investigation, it would be best to do a survey into the patients taste in music as well as perform EEG tests to evaluate Brain wave activity. Additionally, noise levels would need to be properly calibrated before-hand to be assured that the sound and pitch was not causing stress.
What do you mean with Alpha Wave music?
Firstly we should understand, what alpha wave means. Due to wikipedia: “Alpha waves are neural oscillations in the frequency range of 7.5-12.5 Hz arising from synchronous and coherent (in phase or constructive) electrical activity of thalamic pacemaker cells in humans. They are also called Berger’s wave in memory of the founder of EEG.”
So, alpha wave music implements harmonies and melodies at this specific frequency range, namely 7.5-12.5 Hz, in order to induce Alpha Wave stimulation. The binaural beats which are utilized cause the autonomic nervous system to undergo a synchronization with the music listened to. Additionally one must understand the differences between alpha, beta as well as theta wave activity.
Beta waves typically occur in the human brain when they exist in a state of active consciousness, ex, walking and visualizing colored patterns around them. Theta waves occur during states of drowsiness, meditative states or light sleep. Much is still not understood in the knowledge of theta wave activity.
Alpha waves occur when the human mind is in a state of ‘un-focus’, namely their mind is free of obstruction. This typically occur when the human mind is in a state of relaxation, but not necessarily drowsy or tired.
The Science sometimes means high concentration and hard mental working. How do you try to relax?
Well, my first passion, though, was art and photography, thus I am also a free-lance photographer.
My photography has ranged from portraiture.
With landscape I try to capture the beauty of symmetry as well as form which ties in with biology; Symmetry as well as the world around us symbolizes the life which I passionately study. Each landscape is a story, and each landscape holds not only the life of nature, but the life of humans. We are all inter-connected. My work is to give the people aesthetic but also a beauty in reality.
Cityscape:
Inner city living:
It is my goal to not merely capture the smile of a person in a photograph but truly show a visualization of whom they really are.
Marek, most of our readers are azerbajani. What would you say to the people in Azerbaijan?
I have to learn a bit about Azerbaijan but my research applies to all Students and walks of life. For the people of Azerbaijan, who may suffer from chronic stress or depression, they should quietly use 15 to 30 minutes Alpha wave music with meditation to lower their stress and possibly improve states of depression. For those who are in high school or studying at the university, they can utilize quiet classical music or Alpha wave music in order to better concentrate. It is a help aid to combat against those ailed by depression, stress and/or hypertension.
P.s: I have never been in Azerbaijan. You should invite me!
You are invited!
