Charged Magazine

Day: April 26, 2022

  • To Vibe or Not to Vibe

    To Vibe or Not to Vibe

    We’ve all been there: your friends pass you the aux cord at a party and you play your favorite songs only to be met with sighs and groans or –even worse– silence. These are some bangin’ tunes that make you smile. Why do others find those same songs to be boring or “not their cup of tea?” When we like a certain song, dopamine is released into the brain and makes us feel happy or euphoric. This causes us to like a song a little more than your friends and makes you want to listen to more songs in that genre. But what causes our brain to release this chemical? Psychology may provide the answer regarding the inner machinations of the human mind. 

    Jon Lieff, MD via grok.com.au

    Our Emotions:

    Music affects us in three major ways: it serves as a nice distraction, stimulates internal curiosity, and can affect our emotional state. For example, people might listen to music to destress or have as background noise– meanwhile, other people could use those same songs to hype themselves up for a workout. These differences lead us to choosing different genres and songs.

    Music is also interpretive and allows us to choose our own meaning and significance for a certain song. This subjectivity allows different people to determine that in different ways. The same line that means nothing to you may make your friend very emotional. Take your favorite song: is there any reason why you really appreciate the song? Do you associate an emotion with the song? This may be a reason as to why there isn’t a favorite universal genre or song. Since music typically appeals to the emotions, people may associate a certain feeling with a song and grow attached to it. For instance, some of my favorite songs are those that I’ve listened to with my friends and raved about or the ones that my former piano teacher introduced me to. 

    Identity:

    In addition to personal emotions, our perceptions of others and ourselves also influences our taste in music. People have often used music as a way to express themselves and their identity. Because of that, people have associated some songs with certain archetypes of people. According to one study that asked participants to map certain traits to genres, they associate genres like pop and country were more extroverted. On the other hand, jazz and classical were thought of as more reflective.

    ResearchGate, 2016

    Culture:

    Our preferences for certain songs may also be cultural. If we’re exposed to a lot of a certain type of music, we may lean towards more songs that contain those same elements. There are two forms of chords: consonant and dissonant. Consonant chords contain frequencies that are different enough that they don’t seem to clash. Meanwhile, dissonant chords sound a bit more chaotic for lack of better terms. Western music (like pop) usually contains a lot of consonant chords, and Americans have a strong preference for these sounds. However, some other cultures do not show that same, strong preference.

    Statistica 2021

    Whether it be because of what we were exposed to growing up or our self-identity, music tends to distinguish us from others. Although not much research has been done to see if it is truly connected to our personalities, we still manage to label people according to the music they listen to. Perhaps the real question is if the songs we vibe to influences if people vibe with us.

    Resources:

    Anne Trafton, Anne. “Why We like the Music We Do.” MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 13 July 2016, https://news.mit.edu/2016/music-tastes-cultural-not-hardwired-brain-0713.

    Chamorro-Premuzic, TomasPsychology. “The Psychology of Musical Preferences | Psychology Today.” Psychology Today, 14 Jan. 2011, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mr-personality/201101/the-psychology-musical-preferences.

    Clark, Katelyn, et al. “Why Do We like (or Dislike) Certain Music?” Grok, 30 Jan. 2021, https://grokonline.com.au/2021/01/31/why-do-we-like-or-dislike-certain-music/.

  • The Sound of Calm

    The Sound of Calm

    This meme made the rounds on the internet, claiming that a song can significantly reduce anxiety.

    The song was even named one of Time Magazine’s 50 top inventions of 2011, quoting,

    “Could this be the sleeping pill of the future? British ambient band Marconi Union has drummed up the world’s most relaxing song: “Weightless” is 8 min. 10 sec. of aural bliss, proved to reduce anxiety by 65% and slow heart rates by 35% as the listener’s body rhythm syncs with the song’s. Indeed, “Weightless” is so successful at inducing somnolence that scientists caution drivers not to listen to it while behind the wheel.”

    What is cortisol?

    Cortisol is a hormone released when your evolutionary stress response is triggered. 

    A release of cortisol means there will be more glucose in the bloodstream as well as substances that repair tissues, in case of a threat. Cortisol also suppresses the digestive and reproductive systems so that those do not impede you when you are facing an “enemy.”

    Can music really affect blood pressure and cortisol levels?

    One study from Deutsches Arzteblatt International found that listening to classical music actually did reduce blood pressure and cortisol levels in all participants, so music specifically engineered to calm people down from a state of anxiety could very well achieve its claims.

    Another study analyzed the song Weightless specifically, finding that “‘Weightless’ by Marconi was able to induce greater relaxation levels in participants than a massage (increase of 6%). ‘Weightless’ also induced an 11% increase in relaxation over all other relaxing music tracks.” (British Academy of Sound Therapy).

    The song has even apparently been used to calm patients before surgery, in a study published in the journal Regional Anaesthesia & Pain Medicine journal that showed that the song was just as effective as a anxiety-relieving drug.

    It might be worth it to give the song a listen the next time you feel anxious and stressed!

    What is Sound Therapy?

    The band Marconi Union worked with sound therapists to formulate as calm of a sound as possible, but what is a sound therapist?

    Sound therapy is another trend that is takes inspiration from ancient rituals, with dubious scientific backing. Therapists guide patients with individual tones or music, along with controlled breathing, to elicit an energetic or calmed emotional response. “Common sound therapy instruments include Tibetan sound bowls, crystal bowls, gongs, tuning forks, chimes, and voice. Sounds can also be pre-recorded, like white noise, ambient music, or guided instructions. ” (Prevention.com)

    Sound therapy has been compared to a massage, where instead of a practitioner’s hands, the vibration of the sounds produce the sensations. 

    A research study titled, “Sound Therapy Induced Relaxation: Down Regulating Stress Processes and Pathologies,” outlines a proposition that nitric oxide produced in the body when undergoing sound therapy is responsible for the physiological effects in the body, providing a potential scientific basis for how sound therapy could be effective.

    Even a quick YouTube search shows that videos claiming to be sounds appropriate for sound therapy have millions of views.

    While it seems unlikely that sound therapy could be a significant treatment for mental illness, in combination with other therapy it may be a viable option, due to its non-invasive and accessible nature.

    References