MUSIC TO MOOD CORRELATION

How does music affect a person’s mood?

There have been several studies on music and how it may affect one’s mood; such as, in a study using rats. The study was set up using music with several different types of genres that were played to the rats; such as rock, classical, and rap music.

During the rock music, the rats started getting violent and trying to fight with each other. They acted as if there wasn’t enough food in their cage, as if they had to fight for food or resources. (Although there was the same amount of food and resources for each experiment).

When the rap music was played, the rats acted nervous and anxious. They scurried around their cage, more often than usual, unable to stay in one place; compared to when there was no music playing.

When the classical music was played, the rats were calm and kept to themselves. They generally stayed sedentary, only moving about when necessary; such as to get food and water.

In conclusion, this study is a good example, showing how different types of music can affect your mood. Listening to rap music all day, using vulgar words and singing about illegal activity, is going to have an impact on your mindset. It doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to go out and perform these same acts, but they have been stored into your subconscious and conscious mind.

Negative music may over-stimulate your mind with these thoughts, especially since they are being stored in your conscious mind, which is in the front of your brain and easily accessible, while navigating through your everyday activities.

The same happens while listening to something more positive, such as classical music; subsequently, it is naturally calming and that is more likely to put your mind and body into a calmer state.

These findings do not mean that everyone needs to change their music preferences. I personally enjoy rap music. However, we should be wary how often we, and our teenagers, are listening to it. The world is filled with over-stimulating devices, videos, and music, so wouldn’t it be better for our mental health to chose positive words, songs, and music to allow into our subconscious and conscious minds? Perhaps, over time, it will give us a new perspective, making an overall difference in our mood, body, and attitude.