Medically reviewed in January 2020
Want to feel less stressed? Happier? More energetic? Spend more time with your stereo.
A small study suggests that music typically affects people's emotions for the better.
Melodic Mood Makeovers
Study participants who reported hearing music 37 percent of the time during a 1-week period were clearly influenced by the tunes they experienced. Most of the time, the music influenced how they felt, often making people feel happy or nostalgic.
More Than the Sound of Music
Other factors -- such as the personality of the listeners, whether they were alone or with friends during music exposure, and how much they liked the music -- did play a role in the music-induced emotional responses. But the emotions were most often positive and tended to match the motivation of the listeners. For example, listening to music to relax, to counter boredom, or to boost energy tended to lead to the desired response.
