People are emotional as a species. We have a wide range of emotions that can go from happy one minute to sad and melancholy to angry in the space of a few seconds. Music is the same way and has sounds that can seem cheery, as well as angry. Because of these coincidences music has the ability to express emotion as well as change the emotion of the listener.
Have you ever been sad and turned to music? Or maybe you have been angry and/or frustrated when you turned to music. Your mood (or current emotional state) can greatly influence your choice of music you want to listen to. For instance, when you’re sad or melancholy, you might play something that is soft, slow and possibly a little mournful. Whereas, when you are angry you might play something that is loud and has a fast temp. The choice of music you play will complement how you feel at that current moment.
In the same way that our emotions can determine what we listen to, music can change how we feel. In your normal day to day activities, you might hear a piece of music and it can affect your mood. Hearing a slow, sorrowful song might make you feel a little sad, and when you hear a fast, upbeat song you might feel energized and ready to take on anything.
Because music and emotions are so closely linked, it is no surprise that music has been used in so many different places for its emotional benefits. It is used in places such as hospitals and nursing homes because the right kind of music has been known to help the healing process as well as soothe the visitors or relatives of patients. It is also used in advertising because having a popular song as background can make an advertising slogan more memorable, therefore the marketing of the product is increased.
The use of different chords and keys and their combinations can help to determine how a piece of music sounds and therefore what emotion it will be linked to. The descriptive words used to describe emotions and music tends to complement one another. If a song is soft, it can reach out to your sad emotions, whereas if a song is loud, it can reach out to your angry, frustrated emotions.
Since people are so emotional and tend to be run by emotions and music can play to emotions and bring out certain emotions, it is no wonder that we turn to music in practically every aspect of our lives.
