Music, Mental States, and You

Since middle school, one of my favourite pastimes has been listening to music. Nowadays, I listen to it everywhere, whether on the bus, when studying, or just relaxing at home. I always loved to find new music or listen to old favourites as a way to destress, and many of you may feel the same. Regardless of whether you love Djo, Black Sabbath, or Beethoven, most of us can think of a song or artist that we love that puts us in a good mood. However, did you know that research has shown that there are various mental benefits that come with listening to music?

Many of us can think of an instance when we played a song that we really love and it was instantly able to put us in a good mood. This feeling is actually not a subjective experience, as it turns out that listening to happy music or music we enjoy can release neurotransmitters such as dopamine, which allows us to feel pleasure. However, it can also work the other way around, as in some groups listening to sad music can actually make people feel worse (Avramova, 2019). This effect has been verified through research, as one study showed that listening to positive music while making an effort to improve your mood can actually be an effective way to increase it (Ferguson & Sheldon, 2013).

However, more subjective reasons can influence how music affects us, such as certain memories with a song. Suppose we have good memories associated with a song. In that case, listening to the song at a different point in time can bring those memories back to mind and make us feel good again, but the same can be said for bad memories. On top of this, listening to sad music can be comforting at times too. It can help us deal with emotions we may not know how to express ourselves, and it can often help us feel as though we are not alone in the experience (Heshmat, 2019).

The positive effects that can be experienced through music are not limited to music listening however, and can also potentially be experienced through creating music. This is why interventions such as music therapy exist. In this form of therapy, clients are often made to improvise songs along with the therapist, which can often aid in communication, stress-relief, and social functioning. In fact, research has shown that music therapy can even be effective in the reduction of symptoms in mental health conditions such as schizophrenia (Gold et al., 2005).

Aside from these effects, it has also been shown that listening to music can aid in concentration, focus, and memory in some cases. One study conducted in older adults found that participants performed better on memory and processing speed tasks when classical music was playing in the background (Bottiroli et al., 2014). However, this is also a double-edged sword, as playing music that’s too distracting may have the effect of throwing off your concentration instead. Thus, some people suggest listening to classical music while you study, but research has shown that mind-wandering can still be reduced even when participants listen to whatever their preferred music choice is (Kiss & Linnell, 2020). Therefore, the important thing is to know what works for you and to listen to music that you enjoy! There is also evidence that listening to music can help aid in stress reduction (de Witte, 2019) which is not just important when you study, but during your daily life in general.

So, next time you sit down for a study session, feel a bit down, or need to destress in general, think about putting your earphones in and listening to some of your favourite tunes!

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Sources:

• Avramova, N. (2019). How music can change the way you feel and act. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/08/health/music-brain-behavior-intl/index.html

• Bottiroli, S., Rosi, A., Russo, R., Vecchi, T., Cavallini, E. (2014). The cognitive effects of listening to background music on older adults: processing speed improves with upbeat music, while memory seems to benefit from both upbeat and downbeat music. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2014.00284

• de Witte, M., Spruit, A., van Hooren, S., Moonen, X., Stams, G. (2019). Effects of music interventions on stress-related outcomes: a systematic review and two meta-analyses. Health Psychology Review, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2019.1627897

• Ferguson, Y., Sheldon, K. M. (2013). Trying to be happier really can work: Two experimental studies. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2012.747000

• Gold, C., Rolvsjord, R., Aaro, L. E., Aarre, T., Tjemsland, L, Stige, B. (2005). Resource-oriented music therapy for psychiatric patients with low therapy motivation: Protocol for a randomised controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry, 5. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-5-39

• Heshmat, S. (2019). Music, Emotion, and Well-Being. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/science-choice/201908/music-emotion-and-well-being

• Kiss, L., Linnell, K. J. (2020). The effect of preferred background music on task-focus in sustained attention. Psychological Research, 85. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-020-01400-6