How Does Listening To Music Affect Your Mood?

Music helps you to relax, it takes away your worries, makes you dance and sing at the fullest. It defines who you are and makes you forget your past. Listening to music affects us more than we think.

It can completely change your mood and turn a gray day into a colorful day. 

Listening to music and your mood

Many of us are aware of the positive effect we experience when we listen to music. Even in the time of the philosophers singing was already used to relieve stress.

To increase the courage and confidence of soldiers, certain songs or hymns are used in war. Music is also played during sporting events to boost the public’s morale. The same thing happens in schools: children learn numbers and the alphabet through songs.

The music in the dentist’s waiting room makes you feel better and the music you hear in the elevator keeps you from getting bored.

All these things show that music affects our mood. It also makes us more confident and less afraid. 

The music style doesn’t matter

Everyone has their own taste in music, but there are certain ‘universal’ songs that have a significant effect on our mood. The songs your mother sang to you while you were in the womb, the songs you heard as a baby, and the songs you associate with a fond memory are all songs that you experience as pleasant.

Some songs or pieces of music have a calming effect on us. They take the fear, stress and worry away from us. We’re not just talking about classical music or meditation music;  R&B or other music genres can also exert this effect on us.

Dispel negative emotions

Some sounds can dispel our negative emotions and feelings. There are certain rhythms that are more ideal for relaxation, but in fact any style can be used as therapy.

Since music affects our mood, you can use it anywhere and anytime. Fast music will work better for some than slow songs, and vice versa for others.

Music, concentration and sleep

In schools, music is actively used to teach children, among other things, colours, animal names and countries. By using music and songs you can easily remember things and it is also more fun to learn things in this way!

Some sounds can also help patients with diseases such as cancer and multiple sclerosis. And they can also help with recovery after surgery, accident etc. 

When people are depressed and sad, it is harder to tolerate pain. Music can be an easing factor for them in the difficult time they are going through. 

You will also fall asleep more easily and sleep better by listening to certain songs before going to sleep.

Therefore, create a playlist with relaxing music and listen to it while you are in bed. Close your eyes and breathe in and out slowly while listening to the music, allowing your body to fully relax. The drowsiness will set in quickly and you will sleep like a baby.

Wake up to music

Before awakening, there are people who like quiet, calm music to postpone the daily stress for a while, while others need up-tempo music to get into their daily rhythm. Choose what suits you best!

Reduce stress with music

If you’re feeling bad, angry or annoyed, a little music is just what you need. It lowers the hormones that cause stress and increases the production of hormones that make you happy. It’s just a matter of picking the songs that work for you.

Even if you swear by rock or electronic music, it is recommended to listen to other styles from time to time, such as classical, jazz or blues, to calm your nerves and heartbeat.

The effect of listening to music on your brain

The sounds you are exposed to day in and day out affect your brain. When you hear music you like, your body will release dopamine. This hormone is also secreted when you do something fun.

When you hear a song you like, different parts of your brain are activated. Certain songs, for example, inflame the area responsible for emotional responses, such as the visual cortex and motor cortex.

Depending on the rhythm of the music, the frontal cortex and the left parietal lobe, as well as the right cerebellum, will be more active.

With time and repetition, music can be used to:

• Learning languages and fostering creativity.
• Treat neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and autism.
• Treat certain emotional disorders such as anxiety, sadness, low self-esteem, etc.

So what are you waiting for? Put on your favorite music and enjoy!