Music affects mood, experts agree and students at California Baptist University agree as well. It affects the brain and the way people view the world, whether they realize it or not.
Music can make people feel like they can do anything if they set their minds to it. It can also make them feel like the world around them is crumbling down. It can bring out sad emotions as well as happy ones. Beyoncé helps when running that extra mile, and Adele helps mend those broken hearts.
“Music places people in a different mindset and it all has to do with the neurological pathways that are created in our brain after we listen to music that is meaningful to us,” said Michelle Peprah, junior psychology major.
According to Healthline, a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that people tend to prefer sad music when they are experiencing a deep interpersonal loss, such as the end of a relationship. The authors of that study suggested sad music provides a substitute for the lost relationship. They compared it to the preference most people have for an empathic friend — someone who truly understands what you are going through.
When there are no words to describe emotions, music can act as the bridge between the two and can emotionally connect people with their past and with future dreams. It connects people when gathering for a cousin’s wedding and everyone dances to the same song even if it has never been heard. People can associate music with the way they feel, whether or not they realize it.
“Our senses can trigger memories more easily and frequently than we may recognize, for example, like smelling, tasting or hearing something familiar to us,” said Elaine Gutierrez, patient financial service representative at Memorial Healthcare System.
For many college students, music impacts how they perform in classes. The way students study and the results they obtain is affected by music they choose.
