Music is a powerful tool that can alter your emotional state. Every mood you feel can be captured in a song or a playlist that can be used to enhance those feelings. You may have a playlist you listen to when you are sad, or one for when you work out to pump you up. Why is it that certain music can change how we feel? According to tmh.org, music can be used to achieve your desired mood. The interesting thing is, different types of music will be associated with different emotions depending on the person.
What makes a song sad? What makes it happy? Well, it all depends on the person. There are so many factors that contribute to the emotions that arise when a song plays, but it isn’t a universal thing. A song that is sad to one person can actually be happy to another. Tmh.org goes further into depth by explaining how the experiences that are associated with a song may determine our response to it at a later time. That’s why certain songs may bring up memories from pivotal moments in which they were played. This is a helpful tool for when you want to change your emotions to achieve your desired mood. If you are sad about something, listening to songs that you know will make you happy can actually shift how you’re feeling.
In relation to science, music is deeply connected to the limbic system. According to ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, the limbic system is a portion of the brain that processes emotions, known as the amygdala, and controls what we remember, which is caused by the diencephalon and hippocampus. When music is played, blood flow to the brain booms and this limbic system is highly active. Music is involved with memories and emotions because of the brain. This also relates to why certain songs are connected to people. Similar to why music is associated with memories, it can bring us back to a time that connects a song to someone important at that time. So the next time you find yourself reminiscing about the past while you listen to music, think about how your brain is actively working to raise those memories again.