From K-pop to rock, everyone has their own unique types of music they love and listen to daily. Regardless of the genre, music affects people in many different ways.
Studies have shown that the type of music you listen to can affect you physically, alleviating pain and raising or lowering your blood pressure. As noted in the International Journal of Research in Medical Science, researchers from Chengalpattu Medical College did a study on how music affected the body, and concluded that fast-paced music quickens listeners’ pulses and heightens their blood pressure, while slower music can have the opposite effect.
Some people can also turn music into color. While that might sound crazy, studies have shown that there is a neurological trait called synesthesia, more specifically chromesthesia, where people can see specific notes or sounds as a certain color. There is also another form of synesthesia where people can feel the beat on their skin. Scientists think that this could be the future of how people will experience music.
“We hypothesized that synesthesia is a key mechanism in music perception, affecting the induction of emotions, even when the synesthetic level is not explicit (conscious),” Portuguese scientists noted in a study published in the National Library of Medicine.
Music can also affect people’s moods and mindsets. A study from the National Institute of Medicine showed that music can regulate your mood. A lot of people tend to use music as a coping mechanism or to express their emotions. With countless genres and subgenres of music, listeners can feel understood by the music they listen to, even when they feel that no one else understands them. In such cases, music can provide the little “push” some people need to keep going.
“Music makes me smile and feel free, and relieves my stress. I can always count on music to make my day,” said FCHS senior Cadie Ellingson.
The mood and emotions of the music artist can also impact their listeners. Most artists make every lyric and note intentional, so the listener can feel every emotion they feel or create an atmosphere they want the listener to feel.
“Songs reflect the mindset and mood of their composers. So, whatever mood they were feeling, or they want you to feel, is usually the one you end up feeling as well,” said sophomore Alexandra Murphy.
So next time you feel down in the dumps or want to get rid of some stress, consider turning on music.
