CNN reported last week that music really is good for the heart. Dr. Mike (not Michael) Miller, a research cardiologist based out of the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, spent years researching the effects of happiness on the human heart. After testing the effects of laughter on blood vessels as subjects watched funny movies, he decided to see how his results would compare in regards to simply listening to (or playing) music. The results were surprisingly similar – as music was enjoyed, blood vessels expanded, allowing for more better circulation.

Now we all know how much stress sucks, but it’s longterm affects are often overlooked. Longterm stress can increase your risk of heart attacks/strokes (increased blood pressure), infertility, impotence, depression and several other conditions that are simply too stress-inducing to keep listing explained in said article.

After stressing out from reading this article, I began to think about what kind of music, for me, ‘does-a-body-good’. While I jumped right to some mid-50’s era jazz, I realized that all that noise can actually be a bit distracting. Wu-Tang, you maybe? Actually, the song Careful (Click, Click) makes me nervous as hell. Even my all-time favorite Clash doesn’t really get my mind off the bills. With mid-terms fast approaching, I’m now looking to you, faithful AEMMP bloggers and readers, to suggest some truly sound, de-stressing tunes for me. Don’t let me down!