What Are Binaural Beats and What Are Their Benefits?
In your quest to find “scientific” ways to calm your mind or improve your focus, you’ve probably come across binaural *beats. This purported method of maximising concentration and relaxation has grown popular as more people look for ways to improve their productivity. However, binaural *beats are still shrouded in mystery.
Most people listen to them for their supposed benefits without really understanding the science behind them and if they are as effective as we’ve all been led to believe.
Binaural *beats take advantage of our brain’s ability to respond to sounds. They reflect a type of sound therapy intended to evoke different mental states. The beats employ a technique that combines two different sound frequencies to create the perception of a third sound frequency.
For example, if a tone of 300 Hertz is supplied to the left ear and 340 Hertz is presented to the right ear, the listener will experience 40 Hz binaural beats. By perceiving this new sound frequency, your brain tunes to it, inducing a specific mental state.
Many people listen to binaural *beats to alleviate anxiety, induce deep relaxation or sleep, improve focus or memory, and boost creativity.
To understand how binaural *beats can induce different mental states, we first need to understand how our brains work. Neurons in the brain communicate with each other by sending brainwaves.
These are pulses of electricity transmitted across the brain resulting in different mental states, emotions, and behaviour. Therefore, brainwaves are highly correlated with our feelings and actions at any given moment.
Five major types of brain waves reflect a person’s different cognitive states.
To understand how the frequency of brainwaves affects brain activity, you need to recognise how they relate to binaural waves. The faster the brainwave frequency, the higher the alertness; the slower the brainwave frequency, the less alert a person is.
So how does this all apply to binaural *beats? Research has shown that exposing people to specific sound frequencies can result in brainwave entrainment. In this state, people’s brain waves tune to the same frequency as the external stimuli.
An example of the brain’s response to external rhythmic stimulation is highlighted in epilepsy, a neurological condition in which a person is prone to develop seizures.
Brainwave entrainment refers to the brain’s capacity to naturally synchronise its wave frequencies with the rhythm of external stimuli. In the case of binaural *beats, the stimulus is auditory. Patterns of neural firing measured in hertz correspond to different states, such as concentration, deep sleep, and awake relaxation.
Theoretically, one can induce a desired state of consciousness by listening to particular beat frequencies. Researchers have examined the possible effects of binaural *beats on concentration, mood, memory, and creativity.
The strongest evidence for binaural *beats’ effects on the brain involves their ability to alleviate anxiety and induce deep relaxation. There are two major types of anxiety:
Listening to binaural *beats in the delta, theta, or alpha frequency range has been shown in several studies to lower state and trait anxiety.
Several studies have sought to capture the effects of binaural *beats on mood. Binaural *beats appear to decrease total mood disturbance, decrease fatigue, anxiety, and confusion.
Studies on memory focus and creativity often show mixed results. Some studies show improvement in these mental states after binaural beat stimulation, while others show a decrease or no effect.
The mixed results may be due to the different frequencies used in the various studies. For example, some studies show that binaural *beats can positively or negatively impact memory depending on the frequency generated. In some cases, fast beta waves can improve memory, while theta frequencies may worsen it.
Thus, different frequency sounds could result in diverse effects on the brain since multiple networks involved in various functions operate at varying frequencies.
It’s important to note that these beats may only work for some people. Much like individuals may respond differently to diet, supplements, and medications, the same applies to binaural *beats. Because humans are so diverse, what works for one person may not work for another.
Listening to binaural *beats can help relax your mind and put you in a more relaxed state. If you suffer from severe anxiety or stress and are looking for a way to unwind, listening to binaural *beats may help.
Although the effects of binaural *beats may not be immediately noticeable on memory and focus, research on the effects of these beats on the brain is still in its infancy. There is so much more to learn about this technique.
Still, binaural *beats offer a non-invasive way to induce relaxation, alleviate anxiety, and possibly enhance other cognitive functions, including:
Please listen to the following Spotify playlist.