The link between food and music

Food and music, both are completely different right? Well, I had a brain spark the other night and realised that they’re not. And I thought I have to write about this. So here we go.

The main reason why they’re so similar is because they both appeal to just one of the senses, but they appeal greatly to that sense. Food obviously to the sense of taste (although sense of smell and to a lesser extent sense of sight are also used), and for music it is the sense of hearing. For the sense of taste, the primary way it is used is for food to be enjoyed, and similarly for the sense of hearing with music — obviously communication is also a large part of why being able to hear is important, but in terms of the pleasure derived from the sense, music is the main way.

As I’ve said above, they are both the main ways of gaining pleasure through their respective sense, and this is one of the first things that you are taught to notice in mindfulness. Mindfulness is about experiencing the present moment, and mindful eating is talked about a lot. A common exercise is to eat a raisin, but pay your full attention to the experience — to each individual bite, don’t swallow until you are ready to and really notice the taste of the raisin in your mouth and how that feels. I think a similar exercise can be applied to listening to music. Try paying your full attention to the music and do nothing else, noticing every beat and how it makes you feel.

So far I’ve just talked about food and music as a way to appeal to and be enjoyed by the senses, however they are both also a lot more functional than that. Food is obviously important to our physical health, and not just there to be enjoyed but is a requirement for us to function. In my opinion, a similar logic can be applied to music, but for our mental health. I listen to music in so many different situations — to make me feel awake when I wake up in the morning, to concentrate whilst writing this blog post and to improve my mood when I feel sad. I would say that during none of these times am I listening to the music in a mindful way. Instead, I am listening for my mental well-being.

Now, when do we use food or music for health and when do we use them for pleasure? I think we can only get the pleasure from them once the functional things have been satisfied. If you are starving, then you will appreciate the food, but because of the physical benefits it is giving your body. Similarly, if your mind is in the wrong place, then you will appreciate the music, but because of the mental health benefits.

There you go, a link between food and music, two of humankind’s favourite things. Both can give us great pleasure through our senses, but both are also important for our health and to function as human beings.