Recently, I have found myself listening to more upbeat music in the morning on my way to school to start off my day happier. It serves as a distraction from the day ahead of me, and a well-needed break from school work and other worries. I have talked to a few of my friends about this, and discovered that they have similar tactics. Unsurprisingly, this is a true psychological effect of music.
A study in 2019 titled “The Effect of Classical Music on Anxiety and Well-Being of University Students” discovered something similar to what I learned by observing my own behavior. The researchers in this study surveyed fifteen students (seven females and eight males) who are in the Department of Guidance and Psychological Counselling of Kafkas University. To select these participants, they gave fifty students the Psychological Well-Being Scale and the Trait-State Anxiety Inventory. The students that had higher levels of anxiety ended up being selected. They then gave each of the fifteen students a music listening schedule every day during a 60-day period for them to listen to classical music. This experiment revealed that listening to classical music every day did not have a significant effect on the students’ State Anxiety scores, but it did on their Trait Anxiety and Psychological Well-Being scores. State anxiety is the anxiety caused by temporary situations, and is relieved when that threat disappears. Trait anxiety relies on the individual’s likelihood to experience anxiety, and people who are more likely to perceive situations as stressful and view events negatively have more trait anxiety.
Another 2016 study also tested the connection between music and anxiety but specifically in people with a fear of heights. They put all the participants in a virtual reality in which they were each riding in an elevator up nine floors. One group was listening to music while going up, and others weren’t. They found that the group listening to music recovered from their stress due to their fear of heights faster. There are many other studies that examine the correlation between music and stress or anxiety, and they have similar results: listening to music can lower stress levels, blood pressure, and heart rate.
To go further than the direct physical effects of music, it can also give people a sense of community and belonging through a shared favorite genre or artist. Humans have an innate need for community, and it is very important to people’s well-being. Music can also give people a greater sense of self, and help to understand who they are through relating to the lyrics.
Sources:
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01969/full
https://jedfoundation.org/resource/how-music-can-improve-your-mental-health/
