I never had the certainty that I wanted to be a parent and it took me a while to get to the point of saying,
okay I want to do this, I think I want to try this.
One of the things
that my parents gave me that was so strong was a love of music and when I tried to visualize what it would look like
if I did take the leap into parenthood,
I visualized myself singing to whoever this kid would be.
There were a variety of things that led me to ultimately take the leap and one of the things was the power of visualizing our relationship through music and I didn't yet know how crucial that would become but I do remember thinking about music quite a bit beforehand.
Welcome to the Science of Happiness, I'm Dakar Keldner.
Today we're exploring how soothing music, especially lullabies, can do more than just calm children.
They're part of our history and cultural repertoire dating back at least 35,000 years and evoking deep emotions like joy,
sorrow, hope, and awe reminding us we're part of something bigger.
Our guest today, Alexis Cariello, was prescribed music a few years ago to help manage perinatal anxiety.
Through a lullaby she co-wrote, she discovered an entirely new way to connect with her son,
her community, and ultimately herself.
Later, neuroscientist, musician, and best-selling author Dr.
Daniel Leviton will help us better understand why music can have such a calming effect on us.
In clinical trials,
music is more effective than volume in an operating room at reducing anxiety and it's non-addictive, it's cheaper.
How much awe and wonder do you experience in your life?
From the John Templeton Foundation, our sponsors at the Science of Happiness,