Overview
Greitemeyer, T. (2009). Effects of songs with prosocial lyrics on prosocial thoughts, affect, and behavior. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45(1), 186-190.
The purpose of the research study Effects of songs with prosocial lyrics on prosocial thoughts, affect, and behavior, was to examine the research question, Does exposure to prosocial media promote prosocial outcomes? The study attempts to determine the predictive validity of a previous construct known as the General Learning Model, a theoretical model of the effects and consequences of playing video games (as cited in Greitemeyer, 2009).
The authors note that previous research on the effects of media and behavior has exclusively focused on aggressive media
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These were measured by operational definitions within the nominal categories of prosocial (relative to neutral) and neutral. The dependent variables were the thoughts, feelings and behaviors of the respondents. The results of all three experiments supported their respective hypothesis. The first experiment supported the hypothesis that listening to songs with prosocial content increased prosocial thoughts. The second experiment supported the hypothesis that exposure to songs with prosocial lyrics fostered interpersonal empathy. Lastly, the third experiment supported the hypothesis that listening to songs with prosocial lyrics increased helping behavior (Greitemeyer, 2009).
Methods
The participants for all three experiments were taken from a sample pool of college students from Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich Germany. In addition, a pilot study was conducted before the three experiments were executed and utilized the same sample pool. The pilot study consisted of two pre-tests, which consisted of 40 participants. There were 28 women and 12 men for the first pre-test, and 39 women, 11 men for the second pre-test. In this study, no other participant characteristics were given besides gender. In each of the experiments in this study, the participants listened to two songs from each condition. Each condition
Most audiences view music as a form of entertainment only, so society tends to overlook the messages behind the music. Some artists use music to promote their beliefs or inform their listeners about unnoticed issues. Music can spread awareness about misfortunes in the world, and Martina McBride uses her celebrity status to promote her own concerns about child abuse. In 2002, Martina McBride recorded a song titled “Concrete Angel” to spread awareness about child abuse. Her song addresses the general population, consisting of bystanders, because most people are aware of tragedies such as child abuse, but they ignore the problem. Through emotional appeals, characterization, imagery, and foreshadowing, “Concrete Angel” illustrates the story of a young girl’s abuse in order to call the bystanders to awareness of the societal problem.
Music has a dynamic ability of influencing emotions, from mood regulation to rumination and self-expression. The presence of political and social messages in popular music is frequently seen across cultures, in particular focusing on social issues and racism (Back, 2000, 127). This paper attempted to explore the political and social messages in popular music, more specifically it investigated the relationship between Soul music and civil rights movements in the United States.
Even though research have proven that music can intrigue kids from the sound that they have never heard or things that they have never seen, some individuals believe that music does not influence children to rebel. People that support heavy rock and rap music believe that even though this style of music might promote anti-social behavior, the evidence that states that it influences is vague. Past generations, baby boomers, grew up listening to music that did contain inappropriate lyrics, such as “Father Knows Best”, they did not end up committing the “biggest crime wave of the century”. (Chapman, S. (1997, Nov 16)). There are a lot of people that read books about crime, but they do not feel the urge to kill or commit other crimes, they are
Music has played a major role as an agent of socialization in each of my 4 decades. I know and hope that it will continue to do so. During each period music has affected my personality, shown my personality, affected my perceptions and helped me to cope with growing and changing as a person. My Looking Glass Self has compared the person in song and possibly the singer themselves to myself to gain perspective of who I was at each time. I am going to discuss each decade with the thought of how music was an agent of socialization in each.
This reference shows how music lays a foundation of teenage values beyond school or parental teaching. A musical artist can influence a young mind by the chosen lyrics with greater effectiveness than formal education. Music can control or enhance moods. A good mood can get better or a bad mood can be worked through with the choice of music. A bad mood can also be enhanced by lyrics about suicide or violent behavior. Teens can also use music to gain information about the adult world, to withdraw from social contact, facilitate friendships and social settings, or to help them create a personal identity. (O'Toole, 1997)
Andreou, E., Didaskalou, E., & Vlachou, A. (2008). Outcomes of a curriculum-based anti-bullying intervention program on students' attitudes and behavior. Emotional & Behavioral Difficulties, 13(4), 23.5.
Some may say music is just music; a song is just a song. However, music plays an enormous role in our psychology, because a single song has the ability to bring about many kinds of thoughts and emotions in the listener. Music is subtly one of the main factors in which people identify with certain groups and establish their belonging in society. It shapes people’s perspectives on how the world functions and the roles they play within it. Music can function the same way in a culture; it can reflect many of the culture’s values and ideologies. Music can have many effects on culture and the people’s idea of who they think they are within that culture. Music can serve in a way that promotes cultural identity and pride, yet it could also play a
Looking back at when I was assigned to write this Rhetorical Analysis, I was excited. I was given the option of picking two articles or two songs to write about. Being a big lover of music, I took the opportunity to analyze and put into conversation two songs of my choosing. After contemplating over which songs I would be analyzing, I finally chose two and began to brainstorm. However, as I was brainstorming, I realized that one of the songs I chose, did not seem to be very fitting for the message I wanted to talk about. So, after a little more contemplating I chose a different one. The two songs that my Rhetorical Analysis introduce are “Roar” by Katy Perry and “Brave” by Sara Bareilles. I chose these songs because they do a fantastic job at sending out a strong message of self-empowerment. This is a topic that I feel strongly about.
The Doctrine of ethos is a powerful tool used throughout time to influence a mass quantity of people about particular ideas, emotions, or social issues. These ideas can be expressed in a multitude of ways to convey a particular message to the observer. In this case, we are focusing on the effects of music as it applies to human beings and their ability to understand the message implied to them and the effect this may cause on them. I chose to focus my selection on a particular time frame, the civil rights movement, as this would be a crucial time where people were looking fro inspiration and morale to fight for a cause. My song choice is “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to be Free” by Nina Simone and written by Billy Taylor ad Richard Caroll Lamb. I believe
The message an artist delivers can be a double-edged sword depending on the artist and the frame of mind that went behind of the making of the song. Many artists can convey a peaceful message when facing society. For example, artist Bob Marley constantly promoted equal coexistence that has been referred to time and time again as to how music can encourage a more accepting society. On the other hand, some artists believe that reaching social stability is with aggressive, physical movements that require backlashing at all oppressors. This destructive state of mind can cause more harm than good,
While many people would easily agree that music is an art form that comes from the emotional complexity and passions of human beings, Aristotle’s truth that “music that rouses ignoble passions distorts a person's character” is debatable. The claim that “the wrong kind of music makes the wrong kind of person, and the right kind tends to make the right kind of person” is a paradoxical statement that changes meaning and credibility depending on the reader’s perspective. While morality has been an integral part of religious music throughout history, there is no direct correlation that a person’s listening choices reflect their personal belief structures or that the mental health or character of the listener is defined by their choice of music
Music and its powerful means to spread messages to the humans have a big effect on society today. It may affect one in a negative manner such as teaching an individual how to use foul words or it may put one into a bad mood. Although one may not know the hidden meanings behind one song influences an individual as well. One message spread through music is the idea of racism.
The impact of music on positive psychology and emotion is a well known fact. Music has an extraordinary ability to change people’s emotions. In humans, music has the ability to invoke emotions of sadness, happiness and even fear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the casual relationship between music practice and participation on the emotions and well-being of male and female adults. The hypotheses for this study were as follows; Hypothesis 1: Music practice and participation has an emotional impact on individuals under study; Hypothesis 2: Preference of more music genres is positively correlated with higher levels of happiness among the population under study; Hypothesis 3: Preference of more music genres is positively correlated with emotional response among the population under study. Results of the study indicated that both age groups had a positive emotional response to music.
Music is one of the greatest human creations (DeNora, 2000). It plays an integral role in human society worldwide irrelevant of race, gender, age, wealth or well-being (Kemper & Danhauer, 2005). Indeed according to Batt-Rawden (2010), playing different music in diverse situations can introduce listeners to the desired and relevant atmosphere. In most circumstances, music is played to entertain people, but it can also form part of an accompaniment in sad situations. Music is often the fulcrum that influences the listener by creating a unique ambience and atmosphere (Bernatzky, Presh, Anderson, & Panksepp, 2011). Chamorro-Premuzic and Furnham, (2007) adds that music can be a medium to enhance communication,
As evidence has shown, children view many violent scenes while watching television, movies, or playing video games, but the question still remains: What psychological effect does violence in the media have on children? Research over the past 10 years has consistently shown that there is a cause-and-effect relationship between media violence and real-life aggression (Strasburger 129). Violence in the media can lead to aggressive behavior by children and teenagers who watch the various programs. Of course, not all children who watch television, or movies, or play video games develop aggressive behavior. However, there is a strong correlation between media violence and aggressive behavior. A study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, examined how children's television viewing practices are related to aggressive behaviors. The results revealed that children who reported watching greater amounts of television per day had higher levels of violent behavior than children who reported lesser amounts of television viewing (Singer 1041). Witnessing violence is an important determining factor in violent behavior. The media serves as a means for children to witness violence. According to Bandura's Social Learning Theory, children imitate behavior that they see on television, especially if the person performing the behavior is attractive or if the