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Manipulating Mood With Music
How to script the soundtrack of your life
If you’ve ever watched Jaws with the sound turned down, you know that a thriller just isn’t that scary without the creepy soundtrack. That’s because music is one of the most effective manipulators of emotion. Every note that passes your ears can have a distinct effect on your health and mood, experts say.
Music speaks directly to the right, or “emotional” side of the brain, says Dr. Ronald Frederick, psychologist and author of Living Like You Mean It: Use the Wisdom and Power of Your Emotions to Get the Life You Really Want (Jossey–Bass, 2009). But music can do more than stir emotions. Experts are tapping into the power of music to change lives for the better. “Music therapy is becoming a popular tool to manage stress, help you unwind and motivate people to get through a tough time,” Frederick says.
Here’s how you can use music to your advantage.
As a pacifier
Seems your mom was on to something when she sang you to sleep. Lullabies are definitely good at calming cranky tots, says Rick Notter, author of Sound Advice: Music’s Effect on Life, Health and Happiness. So why not use the power of music to soothe yourself too? “Slow–tempo music — about 60 beats per minute, the rate of a resting human heart — played after a busy day promotes actual physical changes in the body, lowering the heart and respiratory rate,” Notter observes. “The brain synchronizes with the beat of the music and slows everything down.”
To clear your head
A new study from National Central University in Taiwan found that fast–tempo music improves your decision–making ability — especially when you’re under pressure. Experts speculate that the quick beat revs up your brain. “And all those quickly firing synapses help you focus in stressful situations,” Frederick says. So even though calm music is best to help you wind down, some good old–fashioned rock and roll or hip–hop has its place when you’re stressed. Aim for tunes with a heart–thumping beat of around 125 to 130.
As a motivator
British researchers found that medium–paced songs — defined as tunes with 115 to 120, such as “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol, “Apologize” by One Republic, or “California Dreaming” by The Mamas and The Papas — have the best beat to motivate you to exercise, do household chores or stay on track at work. Listening to songs with a medium tempo is also good for sustaining intensity through a workout.
Find your beat
Feel like crying it out to some sad songs? Or are you trying to shake yourself out of a bad mood? Several free music services allow you to create personalized playlists based on your mood — or the mood you’d like to be in.
- Sourcetone Interactive Radio (SIRTM) (www.sourcetone.com.) Just tell the program how you want to feel, and Sourcetone will stream music that aligns with your emotional state. You can also rate tracks based on emotion and select multiple genres of music you would like to hear.
- Musicovery (www.musicovery.com.) You can choose “mood” music by genre as well as by decade.
- Pandora (www.pandora.com.) If you already know what kind of music gets you going, take advantage of it with Pandora. Just type in your favorite artist or song, and Pandora will create an entire channel of similar music.
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