IntroductionHumans have been playing music since at least 35,000 years ago (Nicholas J. Conard, June 25, 2009). Since then music has evolved into many genres and has become an important part of every culture. It is often called the universal language because music can convey information such as a feeling, an attitude, or a mood (Chris Dobrian, 1992). It affects people in a deeper way than normal speech. Regular speech does not make people feel any particular emotion if they cannot understand what is being said (Mark Changazi, September 15, 2009). Music makes something different happen. When people listen to music, a spiral sheet in their inner ear is plucked like a guitar string. It activates the brain's auditory cortex, located just above the ears. Different patterns of cells that fire initially trigger other groups of cells that equate different music with emotions, ideas, and past experiences. (Willian J. Cromie, November 13, 1997). And a 2001 study by Anne Blood and Robert Zattore showed that when people listened to pleasant music it activated the limbic and paralimbic areas of the brain. These are linked to the “euphoric reward responses” we experience during good food, sex or drugs (Phillip Ball, 19 April 2013). Music has now been used therapeutically for a number of diseases including Alzheimer's, schizophrenia and cerebral ischemia. Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic have found that music reduces chronic pain and depression rates, and scientists at the National Taipei College of Nursing have found that playing background music with dementia patients reduces aggression (Maria Konnikova, September 26, 2013 ). Music therapy has been used for people in correctional settings, on the autism spectrum, as a response to crisis...... middle of paper ....... .Cromie, Willian J.. "How Your Brain Listens to Music ." The Harvard University Journal. Harvard University, November 13, 1997. Web. November 10, 2013. "Music Therapy Fact Sheets and Bibliographies." American Music Therapy Association. American Music Therapy Association, n.d. Web. November 10, 2013. “Benefits for the Brain.” VH1 Save the Music Foundation. VH1 Save Music and the Web. November 10, 2013. "Using Music to Tune the Heart." Harvard Health Publications. Harvard University, nd Web. 10 November 2013. .