In these studies, it is recorded that not all music can have positive effects or can arouse pleasant emotions.
Listening to aggressive music or music with violent lyrics can induce feelings of hatred, and aggressiveness, and can also trigger the fight-or-flight response. These feelings are directed at others.
Another interesting result that this study produced was the reaction to one’s behavior. The participants reported feeling ashamed of their negative and aggressive reactions to music. This response suggests that music, in any way, is seen as a pleasant experience, and when there’s a negative reaction to music, it is automatically considered wrong.
According to the lead researcher of the study and the assistant professor in musicology from the University of Jyväskylä, Henna-Rikka Peltola,
“Although research indicates an indisputable positive potential for music, we have rather poor knowledge of its negative impacts,”
Peltola also adds saying, “Exposure to music in public spaces can arouse truly strong aversion and stress reactions in some people, which does not increase their wellbeing in any way.”
We’re all aware of the positive effects of music but what about the negative effects of music on human behavior and emotions? Are we truly aware of them?
- Music Can Change Your Perception
Did you know that listening to music can change your perception of life as well as others around you? In a study published in 2011, it was found that visual perception can be altered by music. How we perceive the world not only depends on what we know but can also depend on how we feel.
Our mood can impact what we see. For example, listening to sad music can make us perceive the world differently aka less bright than it is. Now, imagine if you’re always listening to negative music, how will your perception of the world change?
2. Music Can Trigger Aggressive Thoughts
Music is a language that has been in existence for centuries. Even during war times, music was played to increase the motivation of troops so is it wrong when I say that music can entice aggressiveness too?
For example, drill music (a subgenre of rap) can trigger aggressive thoughts and violent acts. In another study, it was found that sexual-aggressive musical content increased aggressive thinking. Additionally, men participants listening to misogynistic music were more likely to think negatively about women and vice versa. Music can subtly change how we view others.
3. Music Can Make Us Think Negative
What will happen when your music playlist is on a loop? Well, it’s not a bad thing but what if the music playlist consists only of sad songs? What do you think happens when you’re constantly drowning yourself in melancholic songs? Listening to sad songs once in a while is OK but not when you listen to them every day, for weeks or months.
Some studies suggest that people living with depression or who are prone to ruminating thoughts are often attracted to sad and melancholic music. These people also report feeling more depressed after listening to the music. When you listen to sad music, it can trap you into a spiral of negative thinking. When you listen to such music, you feel worse, and to cope with those feelings, you come back and listen to the music mimicking your mood. It’s a never-ending cycle.
Source: Sharma, S. (2022)
Music Psychology Center 2022