Does music affect a person? Have you ever walked into a room when there was music playing while you were in a bad mood or an emotional frame of mind, only to find yourself humming or singing along to the music that was playing? Music affects the way we feel, and it can alter the current state of our emotional well-being just by listening to it. Often, in everyday life, people overlook the importance that sounds make in our lives. With all of the issues and tasks that an individual tries to complete during their busy day, it’s no wonder that we often do not take the time to examine something as simple as the sounds that surround us and penetrate our minds, or the affect in which these sounds have on our current emotional state of mind. Music has a peculiar effect on the human mind. Tonal qualities by themselves do not create any extreme mental activity, yet when we combine them together into music, it may create flashbacks of strong memories, making a person feel happy, sad, nostalgic, exited or even angry. There are two main positions on how music effects emotions on us. The first one is the cognitivist approach which describes the emotional response to music as a result from the listener’s cognitive recognition of cues within the composition itself. The other is the emotivists view which supports the idea of emotions being induced by music, where the emotional response to music comes as a feeling. (Krumhansl, 1997; Peretz, 2001) Music shows emotions through the
The current study was able to rely on music to induce emotional states in participants, because of Ferguson and Sheldon’s work on confirming that positive music leads to positive moods.
In a survey study most people stated that their investment in music derives from its ability to convey emotions(Gebauer, Kringelbach and Vuust 2012.) Studies have implied that music can elicit basic emotions such as happiness (Gebauer, Kringelbach and Vuust 2012.) Music with a fast tempo and major mode are considered and reacted to as happy music, while music with slow tempo and minor mode are deemed sad(Gebauer, Kringelbach and Vuust 2012.) This effect was shown through fMRI imaging while listening to different genres of music and participant questionnaires (Gebauer, Kringelbach and Vuust 2012.) A study conducted by Greasly and Lamont was able to show that there are two broad types of listeners; less engaged and more engaged(Greasley
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,
I have this theory that when it comes to music there is an unseen power which transforms. In in my life I have felt the influence of this power but it wasn't until the other day that I witnessed this power in action. It was through a procedure called Music Therapy where the method of treatment involves the patient listening to music. The element of music has a history of an intuitive connection that has psychologically been beneficial. Music therapy bands together the concept of music, mental health, psychological, and physiological benefits. With more examinations to estimate the advantages for this procedure more debate arises. Many are eager to
French Poet Victor Hugo once said, “music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.” We already know the saying a picture is worth a thousand words, but music plays an important role in further expressing our feelings embedded in a picture. Music has the ability to convey the feelings one would like to express but is unable to do so through pictures and words. Our feelings often come from memories; American musician Stevie Wonder (2004) mentioned, “music, at its essence, is what gives us memories. And the longer a song has existed in our lives, the more memories we have of it.” For someone like me that loves listening to music, we almost always try to picture the scene the song is describing while
Several studies have been performed to discover what kind of music can create different emotions. An article written in 2008 outlines how closely related emotions are to memories and how music can bring on strong emotions in a person (Jäncke, 2008). The article expands on this, discussing how music has a huge influence on our mood, emotions, and cognitive functions. Music had a tendency to awaken or arouse a person and make them feel certain emotions. The cycle continues, as these certain emotions help control cognitive functions. This article was not written about those with Alzheimer's disease, but the idea that music and memories are connected is a strongly proven
Listening to music usually positively affects one’s emotions for music can change a mood to a more enlightened state of mind. However, the brain is very efficient at processing music
If music reveals emotions, it is not a normal emotion like any other (Stecker 273). The expression in music can be considered a traditionalized phenomenon (Stecker 273). There are common questions about
Music has been around for thousands of years; it can be used for entertainment, teaching, or healing and coping. One reason people today listen to music is to help get them through rough times. The structural composition of music can influence a person’s thoughts and mood simply through the right chord progression. It has now become an acceptable modality for certain psychological and medicinal mechanisms. Music has recently developed into a therapeutic mechanism for situations stretching from autistic people to the average person struggling with heart break or simply just focusing.
Music is more than just entertainment; it is a way of life to most people, which is why it seems to appeal to so many people. Music is the key to numerous components in one’s life, but on a deeper level, music can play a critical role in letting emotion’s run. It has a way of changing or creating moods for the better or for the worse, whether it is hearing a happy song that brings back fun memories, or hearing a sad song, that brings back those sad memories. Although music has a different appeal to various people, it still has a major impact on the people today.
Music is as much expressive as normal human language. Since music carries much more powerful emotional charge than the real-life events, modern psychologists use it for the therapy. It can be explained by positive impact on the human nervous system. Emotions that rise during the process of listening to the music can be divided into two types - perceived and felt. This means that a person is able to understand the mood of a piece of music, even if he had never experienced such feelings in real life. So, when someone is in depression, happy music only makes it worse. On the contrary, sad music makes a person fell better.
Music is universal. It’s something that we interact with every day. It is a way to express and release emotions, it can send a message that can be related to real life situations, and is a source of communication between people. It unites people in surprising ways. There are many types of music. Music can be composed of beats, sounds, words, and rhythms. Some types or genres of music are; classical rock, rap, country, electronic, and world music. These genres of music can target specific people from certain backgrounds or areas, but also depends on the personal preferences of the person. Music has a history line and most songs are closely related or have been influenced by one another. The power of music can be seen from all different types of artist and music. During a day in your life, you experience many different emotions and situations. You can feel sad, happy, excited, or mellow. Everyone has their own way of expressing their own emotions and some people choose to sing about them or listen to other peoples expressed feelings through music and relate to it. One of the most powerful forms of art is a song that is written to express an emotion. Music can not only define a type of sound, but also define a lifestyle or generation. Generally the emotional impact of music varies according to the listener, their background, their musical tastes, and any particular connection they have with the art piece.
Listening to music can be an influence on people’s mood. Sad music is able to make someone cry whereas happy music does the opposite. Music can be defined as sound of vocal, instruments or combined to form harmony and expression of emotion (Jackson, 2003). And also it can be classified into two categories ; arousing and calm music. Arousing music is usually fast, rhythmic, or give a sudden loud sound. However,calming music is usually slower, with a smooth melody, and not too rhythmic (Ball, 2010). Research has proven that music is not only one form of entertainment, but also is beneficial to a number of health including developing baby 's’ brain and memory, lowering stress levels, improving sleep quality, raising states of
Hence, many scholars have written much in support of the psychology of music. The majority of researchers believe that the power of music is so strong that people would have been dull without music. From giving pleasure, to entertainment, to emotional regulation and advertisement, amongst other functions, music is one of the best inventions of people. As such, this paper centers on the psychology of music starting with its functions and various scholars’ interpretations of the link between individual behavior and music and ending with a perspective on why different individuals have different music preferences.
Music is inevitable in our lives. It is an extremely common and accessible form of entertainment that is used in various circumstances such as in a musical band, karaoke, as well as during physical exercise (). Music today is also used as a therapy, which can effectively improve our social and psychological outcomes, such as anxiety and depression that may cause from a tragic event. The different styles of music elements applied to a song, such as the rhythm, tempo and melody, have a role in impacting our emotional perception (). Music also has shown to be effective in affecting one’s behavior. Our choice of music can be a reflection of our personal attitudes (). Moreover, dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter that plays a major role in our reward-motivated behavior, can be enhanced or attenuated through music listening in our brain, and hence, has an impact to our sensations (VNS). Other than that, the stress-related hormones that are produced in our body can also be altered in response to music (). Music not only includes rhythm and melody, the lyrics of a song could also be important to express the story of one’s past experience and emotion (). The purpose of the playlist created below is to motivate and encourage myself to become stronger, and also to bring myself back to the past with the memories I left behind, as well as relieving my mind and stress. All the songs chosen to be included in the playlist are from the music playlist in my phone. Each of them has its own