Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Music mood swing
As we all know music has a huge effect on our mood, and I definitely, 100% have realized that. For the past three weeks I’ve listened to an array of music, from Rap, Hip Hop, R&B, Alternative, all the way to Acoustic Soul. Being that I predominately listen to Rap and R&B, it was really fun finding and enjoying new genres and going more in-depth with genres that I don’t tend to listen to very often. As I went down the list I realized rap, hip-hop and R&B don’t necessarily put me in the best mood. When really listening to the lyrics the majority of them were provocative, and what we don’t realize is that the things we listen to and see is absorbed and then regenerated and it makes up act in a certain way, and this more so for some than others. For me though Rap, Hip-Hop and R&B puts me in a negative or introverted state. I did find that Acoustic Soul, Mellow Alternative, and Instrumental music had more of a positive effect on me. I again listened to the lyrics and found that they either talked about beauty, love, acceptance for who you are, or happiness. It’s funny now because rap it not my go genre because I know it will make me fell negative when I don’t want to be. It’s nice knowing what kind of music gels best with me and what effect it has on me, and now I can choose whether I want fell up lifted by what I listen to or angry. So I think my little music mood experiment went rather well and it has been pretty beneficial.
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ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you! I find that my music really impacts the way I feel. For some reason I have been listening to early 2000s Lady Gaga. I don’t really know why I started listening to her Fame album but it has made going for a run so much easier when the music is so fast paced and fun. I’ve noticed that I always feel a little uncomfortable when listening to rap. And I’m sure that is probably because I don’t listen to very much rap so I honestly don’t know much about it but the rap that I usually listen to tends to heavily sexualize women, which is awkward. For me personally, I try not to listen to anything too intense as I get ready to go to bed. And by intense I mean songs that are very upbeat because they rile me up and it makes it harder to fall asleep. I really like listening to Christmas music even when it’s not in season, which is a little weird, but it makes me think of winter and darkness and sleeping which I love. As some of you know I also have a soft spot for Michael Buble. I don’t know what it is about his voice but it is just so relaxing. I don’t have a lot of music on my phone, but I have a couple of songs from his holiday track. Basically, I think everyone is different when it comes to how music makes you feel, but I definitely notice a change in my energy.
I think that this is such a good way to study how music makes you feel. For me, I can connect a lot of music I listen to with periods of my life. I can really specifically remember something if I listen to the right song. For example, whenever I'm listening to that song "I'm Gonna Be" by the Proclaimers (whenever it shows up when I shuffle my music) I'm automatically taken back a few years to a trip I was on with one of my cousins. I don't particularly like that song, but it is a really good reminder for that trip. On top of that, I think the right music can bring back a lot of nostalgia. Even if there isn't a direct correlation to the song and the time I remember, it reminds me of that place. I guess music, too me, is like a time capsule of my life and a lot of songs mean something to me. Your idea of music mood swings and how it affects your emotions is something I have a lot. And Cienna, I totally agree with the Christmas music. It is such a nice type of music, and it's so calming. It helps me go to sleep and I think it's good music most of the time, despite the fact that it's only meant for one season. It's also really interesting to think about the lyrics versus the tone of the song. A lot of popular songs have really terrible lyrics, like "Pumped Up Kicks" but it does have a good beat. I try not to listen to anything too sexist or very explicitly profane, but it's hard not to dance to it when it comes on. Thank you for sharing! It's so great to hear someone else feels that way about music.
ReplyDeleteI did my last science fair project on this topic. In my research, I read a couple books that connected music to brain functions. One of the main points that was often repeated across the different sources was that musical memory is one of the strongest natural memories. It only takes one or two listens to memorize a melody and emphasized harmonies, and a few more to pick up lyrics. This is particularly obvious in pop songs, designed as they are to be easily memorable. The reason for this is because when your brain recognizes something, it tends to feel more comfortable with it, and then likes it better, which is what pop songs are banking on. But what was really interesting is that when you listen to songs that were predominant in your childhood, your brain function changes to mimic the patterns it took when you listened to that song a lot. That means songs you listened to as a child can help you study, as they encourage neuroplasticity and calm your brain down with something familiar. But it's really cool to see how even new songs can influence your emotions. Shamaine, it's cool that you were able to pinpoint what it was that made you feel differently from the different genres. Cienna, Sofia, you make an intriguing point when you bring up songs that make you more energized. I wonder why it happens.
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