The right song can calm, inspire or energize you. Learn how to use music to influence your mind and boost your mood.
Music is a powerful phenomenon that transcends language, culture, gender and age. It can slip into your mind and alter your mood -- for better or for worse -- with its harmony, rhythm, lyrics, melody, timbre and pitch. Together, these musical elements create an intense and profound emotional reaction.
"Music is auditory, emotional and motoric," writes renowned New York neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks in his book Musicophilia (Knopf, 2007). "We keep time to it, involuntarily, even if we are not consciously attending to it and our faces and postures mirror the 'narrative' of the melody and the thoughts and feelings it provokes."
Michelle Lawrence, a music therapist with the Victoria Conservatory of Music (VCM) in British Columbia agrees. "Music affects us whether we know it or not. It is around us all the time. You have commercials, television, and music is specifically placed to create emotion, to make you feel something, to make you purchase something."
How music affects and afflicts your mood
Studies have shown that different types of music can have different effects on mood. Grunge rock, for instance, can increase hostility, tension and sadness. Country music can lead to depression. Classical has the power to uplift.
Michelle Lawrence, a music therapist with the Victoria Conservatory of Music (VCM) in British Columbia agrees. "Music affects us whether we know it or not. It is around us all the time. You have commercials, television, and music is specifically placed to create emotion, to make you feel something, to make you purchase something."
How music affects and afflicts your mood
Studies have shown that different types of music can have different effects on mood. Grunge rock, for instance, can increase hostility, tension and sadness. Country music can lead to depression. Classical has the power to uplift.
Musical group REM's song Shiny Happy People can energize with its quick tempo, lively beat and bright tonal colours; Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik can relax with its slow tempo, smooth flowing rhythms and even pulse. While music's tempo can directly affect your mood, music affects everyone in different ways.Get personal with music
"I firmly believe that personal preference has to play a role in it," says Dr. Johanne Brodeur, the head of music therapy at the VCM. "I'm not saying if you play hard rock music it's going to put you to sleep, but it doesn't have to be Bach or Handel. Just something you enjoy listening to that will be soothing to you."
Music has many goals, Brodeur points out, from promoting relaxation and strengthening self-esteem to managing anxiety and expanding your ability to express yourself. "The goals are endless. You just have to decide what's right for you."
"I firmly believe that personal preference has to play a role in it," says Dr. Johanne Brodeur, the head of music therapy at the VCM. "I'm not saying if you play hard rock music it's going to put you to sleep, but it doesn't have to be Bach or Handel. Just something you enjoy listening to that will be soothing to you."
Music has many goals, Brodeur points out, from promoting relaxation and strengthening self-esteem to managing anxiety and expanding your ability to express yourself. "The goals are endless. You just have to decide what's right for you."
Make music work for you
"We can use music to help a lot with our mood in a more powerful way than what people may be doing," says Lawrence. If you're feeling upset, for example, she suggests matching a piece of music to your mood, but then slowly adding in some happier songs.
You can also use music as a nighttime ritual to help you relax, or create a playlist that keeps you motivated during a long run. Of the latter, Dr. Costas Karageorghis, a sport psychologist at Brunel University in London and head of the Music in Sport Research Group, has found that some of the benefits of running with music include its positive effects on mood, its ability to make you feel more alert and its ability to distract from your task and thereby reduce your rate of perceived exertion, or how hard you feel you've worked.
"We can use music to help a lot with our mood in a more powerful way than what people may be doing," says Lawrence. If you're feeling upset, for example, she suggests matching a piece of music to your mood, but then slowly adding in some happier songs.
You can also use music as a nighttime ritual to help you relax, or create a playlist that keeps you motivated during a long run. Of the latter, Dr. Costas Karageorghis, a sport psychologist at Brunel University in London and head of the Music in Sport Research Group, has found that some of the benefits of running with music include its positive effects on mood, its ability to make you feel more alert and its ability to distract from your task and thereby reduce your rate of perceived exertion, or how hard you feel you've worked.
Choose the right music for you
Although music is a personal choice, Brodeur invites you to open yourself up to something new -- and to react in whatever way you see fit. "Try new things just to realize the freedom it gives you, she explains. "If you want to sing, if you want to play, if you want to tap, that's OK. Let it go. Engage yourself in the music process."If you're looking for some new music or just a reminder of what's available, here are some artists to get you in the mood.
Music to inspire: When Marsha Moshinsky, an assistant negotiator at Indian and Northern Affairs in Toronto, needs a pick-me-up she turns to Mexican singer-songwriter Fernando Delgadillo. "His songs are often forward looking, about moving on, making effective change," she says. "It makes me want to go out there and do things for the better." Also try: Bob Marley, John Coltrane, Bach, Mahalia Jackson, Woody Guthrie.Music to relax to: When Catherine Wood, a radio announcer in St. Lazare, Que., needs some down time she looks to Norah Jones. "She has a beautiful voice and her songs are just so calming." Also try: Enya, Dido, Erik Satie, Chris Isaak, Vivaldi.
Music to energize you: For Karen Reppin, an ESL instructor in Vancouver, British blues artist Joan Armatrading is the singer she listens to after a long or difficult day. "What I like most is the composition, how the instruments mesh so well into a melody. When I feel drained of energy, she's a good one to turn to." Also try: Squirrel Nut Zippers, Black Eyed Peas, Mozart, Benny Goodman, Fela Kuti.
Although music is a personal choice, Brodeur invites you to open yourself up to something new -- and to react in whatever way you see fit. "Try new things just to realize the freedom it gives you, she explains. "If you want to sing, if you want to play, if you want to tap, that's OK. Let it go. Engage yourself in the music process."If you're looking for some new music or just a reminder of what's available, here are some artists to get you in the mood.
Music to inspire: When Marsha Moshinsky, an assistant negotiator at Indian and Northern Affairs in Toronto, needs a pick-me-up she turns to Mexican singer-songwriter Fernando Delgadillo. "His songs are often forward looking, about moving on, making effective change," she says. "It makes me want to go out there and do things for the better." Also try: Bob Marley, John Coltrane, Bach, Mahalia Jackson, Woody Guthrie.Music to relax to: When Catherine Wood, a radio announcer in St. Lazare, Que., needs some down time she looks to Norah Jones. "She has a beautiful voice and her songs are just so calming." Also try: Enya, Dido, Erik Satie, Chris Isaak, Vivaldi.
Music to energize you: For Karen Reppin, an ESL instructor in Vancouver, British blues artist Joan Armatrading is the singer she listens to after a long or difficult day. "What I like most is the composition, how the instruments mesh so well into a melody. When I feel drained of energy, she's a good one to turn to." Also try: Squirrel Nut Zippers, Black Eyed Peas, Mozart, Benny Goodman, Fela Kuti.
And don't forget about the power of silence. "Sometimes we need silence," says Brodeur. "We don't have to fill the space all the time. It's OK to not do anything, to just sit and reflect or go for a walk."
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