The Amazing Effects of Music to Our Emotions

We know music for one thing— it is entertaining. But more than how it entertains us, it also gives our emotions a really good smoothing effect.

Today, let us find out a few reasons why you should listen to music, especially this dire time of the pandemic, to help soothe your emotions, anxieties and other emotional problems we are all having this time.

Music is Therapeutic

This music research aligns with the larger arena of music therapy.

Music unquestionably affects our emotions. We tend to listen to music that reflects our mood. When we’re happy we may listen to upbeat music; when we’re sad we may listen to slower, moving songs; when we’re angry we may listen to darker music with heavy guitar, drums, and vocals that reflect our level of anger.

It also can be an effective coping strategy. We can listen to music that elicits emotions we want to feel in a given moment. If we feel lazy and unmotivated, maybe a playlist of uptempo, energetic songs would be a helpful way to change our mood. It could be interesting to create playlists based on various emotions so they’re within reach as desired.

Boosting Moods

While listening to music may bring greater health benefits, creating it can be an effective therapy, too.

Music also affects our mood to the extent that it can influence how we see neutral faces. One study showed that after hearing a short piece of music, participants were more likely to interpret a neutral expression as happy or sad, to match the tone of the music they heard. 

This also happened with other facial expressions but was most notable for those that were close to neutral. Something else that’s really interesting about how our emotions are affected by music is that there are two kinds of emotions related to music: perceived emotions and felt emotions.

Final Thoughts

Music can affect your mood in many ways. This is because of the rhythm and tone that we hear when we listen to music. When we listen to a rhythm, our heart actually begins to synch with it. A slow heartbeat with a strong diastolic pressure tells our brain that something sad or depressing is occurring.

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