How does music affect our mood? Your personal experience might be that music improves your quality of life. And you'd be right. The music we listen to can influence our moods in a big way. But it's not as straightforward as "listening to sad music puts you in a sad mood."
Music can be used in clinical settings with music therapists to help people with mood disorders and mental health issues. But most people choose the music they enjoy, hit play, and enjoy it on their terms - without medical or clinical guidance.
Listening to your favorite songs on repeat can be helpful and has health benefits.
Music & Mood
It has been long established that music impacts our mood. It's not just our mood; we can feel our energy rise or dip based on what we listen to. It's logical to reach for sad music when we are feeling blue.
But why? Music, and in many cases, the lyrics, give us an emotional response. Often, the words in sad songs perfectly capture the things we can't quite say.
Upbeat music raises your heartbeat, and before you know it, you are likely to be dancing, singing, or ready to tackle whatever task you need to complete.
The power of music is multifaceted and has a profound effect on our moods. So, let's examine the research and some anecdotal evidence, too.
The Power of Music: How it Influences Our Mood and Emotions
The Role of Music in Our Lives
Not everyone listens to music all day long, but music surrounds us. It's used in movies, and the scores are written to tap into viewers' emotions. TV shows have a theme tune that, if they are lucky, will get stuck in your mind like an earworm.
The music, the scores, and even the light ambiance in these things are designed to provoke an emotional response from the listener. Happy music plays when the owner is reunited with their long-lost pet; sad music will ring out when your beloved character dies.
It's not just entertainment, though, when you sit in a restaurant, buy a coffee, or go to the grocery store.
And now, we are far from when a DJ selected the music you listened to on a single radio channel. We have access to millions of songs at the tap of a button. Music streaming services have made it easier to surround yourself with music at all times.
Music is with us for almost all the hours we are awake—it is built into our everyday lives.
Furthermore, depending on the music you listen to, you can (and many do) experience social bonding through your music choices. You become part of a fandom for your favorite artists. First, reactions to music, listening to parties, and talking about new releases can help you feel part of something meaningful.
The Impact of Music on the Brain
You've probably heard that we don't really use much or enough of our brains. This is why you might find it surprising that Harvard Health released an article in October 2020 stating that music lit up almost all areas of the brain. (Taken from an AARP paper: https://www.aarp.org/pri/topics/health/brain-health/brain-health-and-music/).
Regions of the brain that deal with memory, emotions, the motor system, and, of course, the audiotry cortex.
The AARP study released some interesting findings:
People who listened to music had a higher mental well-being and mildly reduced anxiety levels and depression compared to the population in general. That isn't to say music solves the issue, but it could be helpful.
The study also outlined that people who attend live music concerts (live music concerts) rated their brain health as very good or excellent. In contrast, those who didn't attend live music events rated themselves at about 50%.
The University of Florida released an article on how the brain responds to music. Since 2006, two UCF professors, violinist Ayako Yonetani and neuroscientist Kiminobu Sugaya, have been teaching "Music and the Brain". Confirming the findings of other studies in an MRI where someone listened to music, the brain lights up like a Christmas tree.
They observed something exciting: When an Alzheimer patient is played music from their childhood, even in the late stages, there is a brain reaction and, in some cases, a physical one—reinforcing the notion that the memories associated with music never leave us, even when the brain is struggling with other functions.
John Hopkins Medicine wrote a short piece: Keep Your Brain Young with Music. It outlines that listening to music or playing music gives the brain a complete workout - which helps with cognition as we age.
And there is a strong case for new music: It challenges the brain with unfamiliarity, forcing it to understand the new music. Since music is architectural, mathematical, and structural, our brains must work hard to understand it.
Exploring Emotional Experiences through Music
It's safe to say that we experience many emotions through the music we listen to. Sometimes, we select music because we feel a certain way; other times, a piece of music dictates how we feel.
Cowen and Keltner conducted a study highlighting 27 human emotions elicited in response to YouTube videos. From there, Cowen decided to investigate the emotional impact of music further.
The findings of the interactive map above mark 13 different broad feelings experienced when listening to certain types of music.
Here are the 13 overarching feelings:
- Triumph
- Scariness
- Anxiety
- Dreaminess
- Sadness
- Relaxation
- Beauty
- Defiance
- Annoyance
- Joy
- Eroticism
- Feeling Pumped Up
- Amusement
Enjoy testing out the map for yourself, click the image to be taken to listen to the samples.
While only around 2000 people across the USA and China participated in the study, it is a big enough group to see that music directly impacts our feelings.
Music Therapy: An Effective Treatment for Mood Disorders
There is an essential distinction between music therapy and listening to music to help you relax. People without any mood disorders listen to music recreationally to calm them. The effect of music therapy is similar, but it is implemented across many different areas of mental health.
Music therapy may be recommended as a complementary therapy when there are other things in place, and some research shows that it can help with the following health conditions:
- Pain (chronic and acute)
- Stroke
- Parkinson's disease
- Dementia
- Learning disabilities
- Anxiety disorders
- Mood disorders
- And more.
A quote from a 2020 study: Effects of music therapy on depression: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Of the 55 included studies, 39 evaluated music therapy, and 17 evaluated music medicine. Using a random-effects model, music therapy was associated with a significant reduction in depressive symptoms.
Within music being used for health conditions, there is also music medicine, when the music is given in 'doses.' In contrast, music therapy is performed by someone who has completed a course in music therapy.
When 'dosed,' music is typically listening to prerecording, while music therapy can be playing an instrument, listening to music either recorded or live, and other activities involving music.
In general, the results of studies and anecdotal evidence show that there are improvements when music is introduced as a therapy or in a dosed medicinal sense.
The Relationship Between Music and Mood
The Effects of Sad Music on Emotional Response
Sad music can be good for you. When we listen to sad music, we can tap into emotions that might be painful in a controlled manner. Sometimes, sad music starts the emotion of feeling sad; other times, we listen to music that fits our mood.
The case for listening to sad music is a strong one.
In most cases, sad music has a slower beat and more meaningful lyrics. Slower music with a more steady beat lowers the heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol and relieves muscle tension. Not only that, but sad music can give those who struggle to cry or release those emotions the relief they need.
Perhaps even more interesting is that the less upbeat music was great for those with depression because it matched their energy levels.
Another critical reason people listen to sad music and' sad' lyrics is that the words often express something we might not be able to.
The Influence of Happy and Upbeat Music on Positive Moods
Most of us have a song, or maybe a few, that gets us bouncing and ready for what we need to tackle. Typically, these songs have a quicker tempo; there might be a beat drop or two. And the lyrics tend to have more positive emotions.
However, keep in mind that sometimes tough topics can be set to a lighthearted tune (Pumped Up Kicks). So, there are exceptions to the rule.
Music is deeply tied to memory; sometimes, we assign specific songs to a memory we have, or a song plays when something extraordinary happens.
Different Types of Music and Their Impact on Mood
The Psychological Functions of Classical Music
Classical music is typically considered the best for relaxing and concentration. However, the more music and its effects are studied, the more a case is made for personal taste.
The study conducted by Kiminobu Suhaya and Awake Yonetani found that the 'Mozart Effect' might be part of the story. In fact, personal preference is the most powerful music for getting into any emotional state.
Here are some of the findings of their research and experience:
- Memory evocation.
- Boosted immune system.
- Better communication.
- Reduction of seizures.
- Assist with brain damage recovery.
- Boost your immune system.
- Tap into our fears.
- Cognitive Function.
Those things aside, there is and likely always will be a significant link between brain, mood, always be a sig, and classical music.
The 2022 study, The Effect of Classical Music on Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, and Mood, noted that classical music has a positive impact on the cardiovascular system. The music releases dopamine, which means 84% of the group felt uplifted after listening to classical music.
Exploring the Genre of Heavy Metal and its Effect on Mood
Heavy metal music has had a bad reputation for many years. The loudness, aggressive lyrics, and provocative imagery have led many to believe that it promotes negative emotions and even violence.
However, heavy metal music can positively affect the mood and well-being of fans of the genre.
The caveat is that only people who already enjoy heavy metal music will benefit from the positive impact.
Heavy metal is a far cry from pop, classic, lofi, and other genres that are recommended for relaxation. However, for lovers of metal, it can provide emotional release through singing along or dancing to the lyrics, reducing stress levels and offering a healthy outlet for emotions like anger.
There is some evidence from a study in 2015 that people who listen to heavy metal or have a strong musical preference think more logically than people who don't like metal music.
The study looked at hard rock, heavy metal, and punk, which are typically louder, faster, and have different sonic attributes than other genres.
The Influence of Lyrics on Emotional Responses to Music
Some lyrics are incredible. For some listeners, the lyrics take them on a journey. They tell a story on a journey with the artists. Words have always had an impact, and how we process them matters.
However, sometimes you don't need to understand the lyrics to feel their sentiment—this is often the case with Opera, for example.
The most exciting thing about lyrics is that you can assign meaning to them. For example, some lyrics that one person might perceive as sad could be uplifting to others - based on personal experiences.
There are so many kinds of music and combinations of lyrics and sounds that there is always something that will meet your emotional needs.
Where do playlists come into this?
We can add it to a playlist when we love what we are listening to and use those playlists when we feel a certain way. For example, you might have much to do and need motivation.
So you'll naturally reach for an uptempo playlist with your favorite music. It will hype you up; you'll likely sing, too.
When you want to relax, choose something more downtempo, slower, and softer lyrics. The playlists that we create capture certain emotions. Music streaming services know how vital mood and music are, so you'll see playlists with mood descriptions as their names.
We often stay with a music streaming service for years because of our emotional connection to music and playlists. This isn't always because the service suits us; it is because we form an emotional attachment to the music and our collections.
The time and effort put into creating mood-capturing playlists can be extensive, so it's nice to know that you can transfer your music and keep your precious playlists with FreeYourMusic.
With a few taps, you can move tracks, liked songs, albums, playlists, and more.
