Kogan explained, “Music therapists are following in the footsteps of their parents, using music to help people deal with the hardships and difficulties of life. Using slow, elegant music to convey the ideas of famous pianist Yitao Wang, she said knowledgly and mightily brimming with wisdom: “Even the most broken day can be filled with joy if it has music in it. “It just ain’ t in your head.
Image: A woman listening to music in her headset
The brain regions which respond to emotion and reward are more active when you are enjoying music, says recent research. What causes such an intense emotional response in listeners to music? It is estimated that from at least one aspect the answer comes with the unexpected change of the strength of musical attributes and speed, fuelling tension and anticipation.
The Science Behind Music and Mood
Songs has a profound effect on our moods and emotions. There is now scientific proof of that, rather than just talking. Even just sitting there, listening to pleasant songs causes activity in the joy-centers of one’s brain to soar: neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin are released.
But whether these musical elements correlate with important indicators of emotional response is not well understood. 18 participants in this study (12 female, six male, 18-38 years old) continuously provided subjective and physiological measures of their emotional experiences while listening to four different types of stimuli in counterbalanced order: pleasant songs, unpleasant songs (the dissonant versions of their own songs), neutral song pairs, and totally silent music. Each stimulus was presented twice; during the first presentation electroencephalogram (EEG) data were obtained, and during the second participants continued to record their evaluations of the stimuli.
Peak shifts in bias towards the left were found at frontal sites in all good subjects, and across the entire sample. A sign of the shift into a positive emotion. All of the songs were also evaluated according to the time at which important elements began. Participants rated their song choices as highly positive, their songs choices as bad, and their neutral and silent songs nowhere good or bad in terms of early average rating over all conditions on an emotional test. Among frontal electrodes only FC3-FC4 made large contributions to FA, and the largest increase in left bias from baseline was associated with pleasant songs.
Benefits of Listening to Music
- Reduction of Stress
- Article Through a decrease of cortisol, approach songs may reduce stress For relaxation, calm songs are best below as they reduce anxiety and decelerate the pulse.
- Enhanced Mental Well-Being
- Getting all our feelings out on a track can be an emotional release, so this may help to lower anxiety and depressive symptoms.
- Improved Mental Abilities
- Some background songs, such as classical or instrumental songs that improve your memory and concentration functions, could help you focus on any activity.
- Improved Quality of Sleep
- It will help you to fall asleep sooner and promote relaxation with better sleep quality for years!
Judgment with previous studies The results are consistent with earlier findings in a number of respects. Appropriate FA responses at this location also occurred concomitant to important song events that signal change–e.g., the initiation of a new theme or instrument, low-level acoustic changes (pitch, texture, and dynamics); These results lead to factual support for the hypothesis that elemental changes in song form are a vital stimulus influencing emotional consistencies among listeners.
- Song therapist and University of Melbourne lecturer Dr Katrina Skewes McFerran dives deep into the ways songs are linked with our feelings.
- For songs to make a difference in your mood, you need to find out what gets you feeling nostalgic or whimsical!
- When it comes down to emotions, Ms. Bradman seems to think that improving our ability to fine-grain represent how we are feeling will assist in regulating them [hopefully in the right places].
- This shortcut is not available to everyone. For example, Professor McFerran said playing upbeat songs will not work straight away when you feel sad, stressed or upset. “‘Songs don’t just work like magic,’ she says.
- Professor McFerran as an alternative uses the Iso-Principle with shoppers. A person who is depressed can start out with sad songs to validate their sadness. Songs could be used by people to find feelings of hopefulness or resignation instead of despair.
- A secure emotional base. Dr. Garrido and Professor McFerran say the cues for songs listening associated with emotions are complex and personal.
- The research team asked two volunteers to listen to the same set of songs. Their breakup was recent. They wrote down their feelings… Dr Garrido claims one reacted positively to Adele’s break up song, while the other displayed “despair”.
Professor McFerran says songs may not be the only influence on moods. Anyway, for some people, its going to be song listening but to others it might be playing or singing. Ms. Bradman suggests using music for mood boosting, no matter how you like it: “Music can provide a safe place for emotion. Songs bring us a sweaty soundtrack to our feelings and peel back their layers for better or worse.
Songs feel less insecure, less uncertain and less unreal to us when we assign them feelings. After which, we can accept the emotion, respect it and work through it- coming out of the other end. Australian music therapist Katrina Skewes McFerran from the University of Melbourne has been studying how songs affect her patients.
In Image: Disc Music Player
- Nor should we some time — the songs that put us in a wistful, whimsical, or melancholy mood; those which carry hope with them & restore us laughing to our past; and the songs of wild acclaim This is only when songs can actually change your mood.
- Ms. Bradman believes that being the more specific in our description of such a feeling gives us greater control over how we feel
- Not everyone can take this shortcut. Professor McFerran said that although listening to fast or happy music when feeling down or stressed would not be an instant cure. “Which is why,” she goes on, “Songs are not magic.
- For clients, however, Professor McFerran employs the Iso-Principle; The first thing to do is pick songs that resonate with the mood of the person you are playing for. Thereafter, you begin inching towards the mood that you desire by selecting from a range of genres.
- Depressed one can start by listening to sad songs to validate their sadness. Listening to music may cause some people to become more positive or to appreciate themselves and situations.
A solid emotional infrastructure Dr. Garrido and Professor McFerran’s research in Interactions, affects and emotions — due to enter the Top 10 most cited papers list of Psychology of Music (a journal published by SAGE) in June 2017 — explores how people listen to songs and interact with them.
Useful Advice on How to Use Music to Improve Your Mood
- Make Playlists to Fit Various Emotions
- Choosing music for your mood might be a good tactic for controlling that mood. Some sweet playlist suggestions when curating music to fit your mood: an upbeat festival/gym playlist (for inspiration), laid-back chill vibes/floating in the pool style tunes (for when you just want to unwind) and a classical peace/focus inducing melodies. Having these playlists ready might make it easier for you to find the right music in future when you want it.
- Include Music in Your Everyday Activities
- Make music a regular part of your day. Have a calming playlist for driving, an inspiring playlist for first thing in the morning and then a relaxed one when going to sleep. It may help to incorporate music into your day and increase the general mood of your entire monotonous chore.
- Investigate New Genres
- No longer be afraid of exploring into new genres and artists Broadening the range of music you listen to might introduce you to new sounds and feelings which will also boost your mood. Playing around with other categories of music may help in keeping your listening unique and exhilarating.
- Employ Music as a Healing Instrument
- Put your favorite music on for 10 minutes when you feel sad or worried. Music can be a solace and an emotional outpouring during hard times. Music helps us process and feel our emotions, whether we are dancing to an upbeat number or reflecting in silence with a slow ballad.
- To show that two persons had the identical response to one item, Dr. Garrido played them similar music. The relationship between the two of them had ended recently too. They even journaled their thoughts. As Doctor Garrido explains it, one person felt good listening to the Adele breakup song, the other did not.
Professor McFerran says besides music there are many other things that can change how we feel. For some individuals, it can be listening songs, others may want to play an instrument or sing.
No matter your thoughts on ordered music, if you are feeling flat Ms. Bradman encourages you to put some choons on to give yourself a lift. Music “could a space allow home to your feelings. music gives us words to describe the feelings we are experiencing it helps us understand ourselves on another level.
Songs feel concrete, as if that emotional attachment literally bonds a song to who we were when we heard it. She concludes we can then step back and make more room for the feeling to come, feel it, heal it, and move past it.
“Music is the powerful tool that can allow us to feel > more and bring down our mood. By understanding how different music affects differently our mood, and by making sure to include this in daily life, we can utilize the power of music for better mental health, easing tension and calming down. So, the next time you feel down, play your favourite music and wake up that joy.”