Have you ever stopped to consider if the music you listen to affects your lifestyle?
According to www.nielsen.com, 93% of the US population listens to music and spends more than 25 hours a week listening to it. Music isn’t inherently bad, but what you listen to can have a significant impact on your life, including how you act, talk, who you hang around, the way you dress, and your overall personality. For example, people who listen to country music often wear cowboy boots and jeans, giving them a southern look.
Music can also have a negative effect on your personality. Some rap music promotes violence, drugs, and gangs, which could lead listeners down a bad path. According to the American Psychological Association, “Violent song lyrics increase negative emotions and thoughts that can lead to aggression.”
FCHS sophomore Keen Dickerson agrees that music can affect students, either positively or negatively. “It can put people in different kinds of mood swings depending on the context of the song they are listening to and can create mixed feelings,” he said.
I know that music has had a great influence on my daily life and how I act as a person. I also found out that when you listen to more positive music, you get a more positive outlook on life, and I’m not the only person to realize this.
“I tend to listen to Christian worship music, and I feel like there aren’t any cons. But the pros are that you’re worshiping the Lord and cleansing your ears,” said junior Wyatt Shifflett.
Another benefit of listening to more positive music genres is that it can help you focus better. For example, there has been a lot of research on the positive effects of listening to classical music when studying for a test.
No one music genre is better than the rest. Some people listen to rap, metal, and rock that has foul language and bad context behind the lyrics, yet without having any negative impact on their day-to-day lives.
“I mostly listen to metalcore music, and I would say that this music affects me as a person because it makes me feel more positive and helps me express myself and my emotions,” said sophomore Arionna Jones. This just goes as an example that even though people frown upon the context and language of the music, it can still have a positive impact on people who enjoy listening to it. I personally believe that no one should be judged on who or what type of music they listen to because you never know what type of impact that type of music can have on someone’s life, or even just the backstory on why they listen to that music,” she added.
