Some areas of research in the psychology of music focus on the application of music in everyday life as well as the practices and experiences of the amateur and professional musician. Each topic may utilize knowledge and techniques derived from one or more of the areas described above. Such areas include:
Music in society Including: • everyday music listening • musical
rituals and gatherings (e.g.
religious,
festive,
sporting,
political, etc.) • the role of music in forming
personal and
group identities • the relation between music and
dancing •
social influences on musical preference (peers, family, experts, social background, etc.)
Musical preference Consumers' choices in music have been studied as they relate to the
Big Five personality traits:
openness to experience,
agreeableness,
extraversion,
neuroticism, and
conscientiousness. In general, the plasticity traits (openness to experience and extraversion) affect music preference more than the stability traits (agreeableness, neuroticism, and conscientiousness). Gender has been shown to influence preference, with men choosing music for primarily cognitive reasons and women for emotional reasons. Relationships with music preference have also been found with mood and nostalgic association.
Background music The study of
background music focuses on the impact of music with non-musical tasks, including changes in behavior in the presence of different types, settings, or styles of music. In laboratory settings, music can affect performance on cognitive tasks (memory,
attention, and
comprehension), both positively and negatively. Used extensively as an
advertising aid, music may also affect
marketing strategies, ad comprehension, and consumer choices. Background music can influence learning,
working memory and
recall, performance while working on tests, and attention in cognitive monitoring tasks. Background music can also be used as a way to relieve boredom, create positive moods, and maintain a private space. Background music has been shown to put a restless mind at ease by presenting the listener with various melodies and tones. For example, listening to atonal music might result in reduced heart rate (fear bradycardia) and increased blood pressure (both diastolic and systolic), possibly reflecting an increase in alertness and attention, psychological tension, and anxiety.
Music in marketing In both radio and television advertisements, music plays an integral role in content recall, intentions to buy the product, and attitudes toward the advertisement and brand itself. Music's effect on marketing has been studied in radio ads, One of the most important aspects of an advertisement's music is the "musical fit", or the degree of congruity between cues in the ad and song content. Advertisements and music can be congruous or incongruous for both lyrical and instrumental music. The timbre, tempo, lyrics, genre, mood, as well as any positive or negative associations elicited by certain music should
fit the nature of the advertisement and product. One study suggested that listening to one's preferred genre of music can enhance productivity in the workplace, though other research has found that listening to music while working can be a source of
distraction, with loudness and lyrical content possibly playing a role. Other factors proposed to affect the relationship between music listening and productivity include musical structure, task complexity, and degree of control over the choice and use of music.
Music education Including: • optimizing
music education •
development of musical behaviors and abilities throughout the lifespan • the specific skills and processes involved in
learning a
musical instrument or
singing • activities and practices within a
music school • individual versus group learning of a musical instrument • the effects of musical education on intelligence • optimizing
practice Musical aptitude Musical aptitude refers to a person's innate ability to acquire skills and knowledge required for musical activity, and may influence the speed at which learning can take place and the level that may be achieved. Study in this area focuses on whether aptitude can be broken into subsets or represented as a single construct, whether aptitude can be measured prior to significant achievement, whether high aptitude can predict achievement, to what extent aptitude is inherited, and what implications questions of aptitude have on educational principles.
Music and health Health benefits Scientific studies suggest that singing can have positive effects on people's health. A preliminary study based on self-reported data from a survey of students participating in choral singing found perceived benefits including increased lung capacity, improved mood, stress reduction, as well as perceived social and spiritual benefits. Singing provides physical, cognitive, and emotional benefits to participants. When they step on stage, many singers forget their worries and focus solely on the song. Singing is becoming a more widely known method of increasing an individual's overall health and wellness, in turn helping them to battle diseases such as cancer more effectively due to decreased stress, releasing of endorphins, and increased lung capacity.
Effect on the brain John Daniel Scott, among others, have cited that "people who sing are more likely to be happy". This is because "singing elevates the levels of neurotransmitters which are associated with pleasure and well being". Humans have a long prehistory of music, especially singing; it is speculated that music was even used as an early form of social bonding. As stated by Savage et al. (2020), Songs were also used to identify a socio-cultural connection between individuals, as songs typically vary. If two people knew the same song, they likely had a connection from previous generations (7), because song is often more memorable. Savage et al. continues by presenting evidence that music or singing may have evolved in humans even before language. Furthermore, Levitin, in his
This is Your Brain on Music, argues that "music may be the activity that prepared our pre-human ancestors for speech communication" and that "singing ... might have helped our species to refine motor skills, paving the way for the development of the exquisitely fine muscle control required for vocal ... speech" (260). On the other hand, he cites Pinker, who "argued that language is an adaptation and music is its
Spandrel ... an evolutionary accident piggybacking on language" (248).
Effect on body A recent study by
Tenovus Cancer Care found that singing in a choir for just one hour boosts levels of immune proteins in cancer patients and has a positive overall effect on the health of patients. The study explores the possibility that singing could help put patients in the best mental and physical shape to receive the treatment they need, by reducing stress hormones, and increasing quantities of cytokines—proteins of the immune system that can increase the body's ability to fight disease. "Singing gives you physical benefits like breath control and muscle movement and enunciation, as well as the learning benefits of processing information" says a musical director and accompanist in the study. The enunciation and speech benefits tie into the language benefits detailed below. Some have advocated, as in a 2011 article in the
Toronto Star, that everyone sing, even if they are not musically talented, because of its health benefits. Singing lowers blood pressure by releasing pent up emotions, boosting relaxation, and reminding them of happy times. It also allows singers to breathe more easily. Patients with lung disease and chronic pulmonary disease experience relief from their symptoms from singing just two times a week. In addition to breathing related illness, singing also has numerous benefits for stroke victims when it comes to relearning the ability to speak and communicate by singing their thoughts. Singing activates the right side of the brain when the left side cannot function (the left side is the area of the brain responsible for speech), so it is easy to see how singing can be an excellent alternative to speech while the victim heals.
Physical benefits • Works the lungs, tones up the intercostals and diaphragm • Improves sleep • Benefits cardio function by improving aerobic capacity • Relaxes overall muscle tension • Improves posture • Opens up sinuses and respiratory tubes • With training, it could help decrease snoring • Boosts immune system • Helps patients manage pain • Helps improve physical balance in people affected by illnesses such as Parkinson's disease =====
Psychological benefits • Reduces cortisol and stress • Reduces blood pressure • Releases endorphins • Improves mood through release of dopamine and serotonin • Eases anxiety of upcoming challenges =====
Other concepts Including: • the effectiveness of music in healthcare and therapeutic settings •
music-specific disorders • musicians' physical and mental health and well-being • music performance anxiety (MPA, or
stage fright) •
motivation,
burnout, and
depression among musicians •
noise-induced hearing loss among musicians • Sleep onset and maintenance
insomnia ==See also==