Mood Music
Have you ever decided to binge–listen to sad, love songs after going through a bad breakup or after getting into a fight with your significant other? Did you listen to it because it was how you were feeling and could relate to the lyrics? Or did you turn them on as a way to vent without having to talk to anyone? Let’s face it we’ve all done it. But have we ever paid any attention to the effect the music really has on us? Probably not. More often than not we aren’t thinking too deeply about the music we listen to. Sometimes we are so used to listening to certain music that we don’t realize the very real impact it has on our minds and emotions.
Many studies have been done to research how music affects our minds. The most popular study done was called the “Mozart effect”. The “Mozart effect” is the theory that Mozart music boosts brain activity, therefore improving intelligence. According to an article from Harvard Men's Health, music could have an impact on cognitive performance by enhancing the mind; this still hasn’t been proven, but it’s a strong theory.
The study tells us about the speculation these researchers have, “that listening to music helps organize the firing of nerve cells in the right half of the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain responsible for higher functions. According to this construct, music—or at least some forms of music—acts as an "exercise" that warms up selected brain cells, allowing them to process information more efficiently.”
While these studies are testing how our brains become more awake, there is still much speculation around how it truly affects our mood. There is research to back up the claims that music helps lower symptoms of depression or boost the feeling of happiness. Music has been used as a form of therapy in the same way art has. A 2015 study from American Music Therapy Association shows music correlating to pain levels in surgery, “people who listened to music before, during, or after surgery experienced less pain and anxiety compared to those who didn't listen to music,” according to the AIMM Blog. What this means is that if music can help relieve pain then it definitely can have a deep effect on our minds and moods.
I decided to do my own study to test if our moods change depending on the kind of music being played.
Our moods can be a reflection of the music we listen to.
We know that music can boost our emotions and we know that we like to listen to music that reflects how we are feeling. I am someone who loves music and I have to listen to it every day to feel better.
My Music Routine
I only listen to Christian worship music in the morning to get myself ready for the day. I like to dedicate my mornings to worshiping God since I of the Christian religion. When I listen to this music I feel charged up and ready for wherever the day takes me. Depending on the song I feel hopeful, full of energy, confident, and uplifted in my spirit.
Throughout the day I’ll listen to throwback songs that are mostly from the R&B genre. I prefer to listen to classic R&B from the ’90s and early 2000s because they make me feel nostalgic.
I’ve noticed that when I listen to sad songs when I’m feeling down it doesn’t help me to feel happier. Many people choose to listen to sad songs when they’re feeling low because they can relate to the lyrics but from my experience, I don’t want to feel worse than I already do so I’ll listen to music that is not reflective of my depressed emotions. I listen to sad love songs when I’m not feeling down because it won’t have a strong effect on me. After tracking how I feel with music on myself, I decided to test out different songs on one of my best friends, Melisa, to see how she reacts and how her mood changes.
“BurN”- Usher
Emotion: Angry
She got a bit angry listening to this, she really didn’t want the song to keep playing and begged me to turn it off.
“It’s a song that makes you want to text your ex and tell them you want to try again. It puts you in your feelings. It makes you feel sad,” Melissa said.
“Run It!”- Chris Brown
She was smiling and bobbing her head. “This makes me want to groove. It makes me want to get up and dance, so I feel happy,” She said.
“Work Out”- J.Cole
She got excited when she heard the intro alone and held herself down because she wanted to get up and dance. This makes me want to go out and dance with my close friends. It makes me want to sing as if I’m the rapper himself,” Melissa said.
“Jenny from the Block”- Jennifer Lopez
She didn’t really have much of an outer expression with this song but she appeared to be enjoying it as there was no stress apparent on her face.“It makes me want to put on different clothes and dance in front of the mirror,” she said.
“Ibiza”- Ozuna
“It makes me want to fall in love on the dance floor. It makes me feel like I’m the only female in the room,” she said.
“Hot in Herre”- Nelly
“It makes me want to jump, pop, lock, and drop it. It makes me want to put on sunglasses and get dressed up,” Melissa said excitedly.
Be Without You- Mary J. Blige
She tried covering her ears then told me to turn it off. “It makes me want to rip up pictures of my ex. This song frustrates me and makes me angry,” she said frustratedly.
“Crazy”- K-Ci & JoJo
She kept shaking her head and sucking her teeth as if she was distressed. “Change this, it makes me sad. I want to eat popcorn and ice cream now,” Melissa said distraught.
“Luxurious”- Gwen Stefani
She told me to take this off immediately because she didn’t want to hear about love or even the notion of it. “This makes me want to turn on drill music. I want to listen to Pop Smoke now. I don’t want to listen to this. Too much love,” she said with slight anger.
“Bills, Bills, Bills”- Destiny’s Child
“It makes me feel like one of the girls in the song. It makes me want to be independent,” Melissa shared with some sass.
“Goodies”- Ciara
“It makes me feel cocky like I’m a celebrity,” she said boldly.
“Exchange”- Bryson Tiller
“It makes me want to keep to myself and be in my bag,” she said with confidence.
“Baby One More Time”- Britney Spears
“It makes me want to jump off my bed to dance. It makes me want to do the dance from the music video,” Melissa said with passion.
“What a Beautiful Name”- Hillsong Worship
She covered her ears and yelled at me to take it off. “This makes me want to cry but not in a sad way. This reminds me of when I was pregnant and went to church after many years of not attending. This isn’t a sad song but I was in a bad place when I listened to it,” she explained with hope and sadness.
“I believe music does affect your mood because it can bring back memories we either love or hate due to past emotional trauma. Listening to every song I could feel different types of emotions. It was a rollercoaster ride of emotions,” Melissa said. It’s safe to say she hates me after this experiment as she finished this off with a few strong choice words for me. The song that affected her the most was “What a Beautiful Name” by Hillsong Worship. This is a Christian worship song but it gave her flashbacks of the tough situation she endured a couple of years back.
After this fun experiment, I agree with the scientific research which suggests that music most definitely has its own power over our mood.
Do you believe your choice in music is a reflection of your mood or is your mood a reflection of the music you listen to? Comment below.