All people have a favorite song or artist. Researchers have found that our musical preferences reflect our image in society, influence our mood and make us more courageous, more cheerful, or, on the contrary, more sad and depressed. Have you ever thought about how music reflects our society?
Not only our personality and way of thinking is influenced by music. Studies have shown that children who learn to play a musical instrument accumulate 10 times more information than those who do not play any instrument. Thus, children who play the piano achieve better results at IQ tests than those who know to use a computer. Listening to quiet music can improve performance, while exciting music may interfere.
The power of music to act therapeutically has long been recognized. Music has a strong impact on people with neurological deficiencies. In some cases, patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease have unusual reactions when they remember songs from their youth. Also, music promotes relaxation and well-being, alleviating anxiety and pain because it stimulates the production of endorphins.
Music facilitates communication, inducing multiple responses – physiological, mood, emotional, cognitive, movement, and behavioral. This is why people use music to improve the quality of their lives. It was proved that music enhances productivity and influences our purchasing behavior in subtle ways. Knowledge of these effects can be used to manipulate our reactions.
The way we react when listening a certain song depends on our mood and previous experiences. Every song tells us something. A study conducted on several teenagers who were asked to listen to rock and rap music proved that under these conditions, their level of testosterone increased. Young people who listen to this kind of music have a more aggressive behavior. Rap has even a more powerful message because its lyrics are more explicit.
Music reflects us as individuals and thus, the whole society. Never before in the history of humanity have so many different kinds of music been so easily available to so many people. Now more than ever, music is becoming an integral part of every day life.