Music Does Have an Effect on Peoples Moods, Emotions & Actions

Music does have an Effect on Peoples Moods, Emotions & Actions

Music has an exceptional way of transcending feelings, emotions, and information across the world. It is a beautiful, yet powerful force is composed of feeling, abundance, and raw emotion and influences our way of dress, our dialect and even our own moral fiber. It can be as simple as the beat created by walking on the planks of a deck, or as intricate as a twelve part symphony. This thesis will examine how music as a whole, effects peoples mind, body, actions, moods and emotions. As music is also an amazing persuasive device, this examination also answers three main underlining questions; does drug use with youth and music have a connection? What are some reason people act violently when hearing a certain piece of music? Finally, does age play a factor in how music effects a person's mood?

Drugs use in music culture is a great example of psychological ways that music influences lifestyles. "Rock, Reggae, and Rap music, better known as the three R's to drugs are the three genres that have been classified as the drug related musical types" (Rocco E 3). Since the 1970's Rock music has had a huge reputation for being a "party genre". It creates fillings and emotions of validation that leads a person to look for the party life in order to emulate an idol. Rocks biggest contributors to this are Jimmy Hendrix, KISS, the Eagles, and Aerosmith, all with a history of drug use. Reggae has been known as the lyrically strong genre with great three-part harmonies vocals, a politically challenged sound, and the relaxing Rasta vibe in which marijuana is greatly represented.

Many people who are effected by reggae music look towards marijuana for an herbal meditation to take away the stresses of life. Bob Marley and the Wailers are known for being the founders of reggae music. Rap is the newest member of this group. This particular genre not only admits to the "coolness" of drinking and drugs but also includes vulgar and profane language or statements in its lyrics that add to the characteristics of its listeners. Rap also looks at women in a very condescending way. Today, women are degraded in most rap songs and almost made to look like sexual slaves. In some songs, the word "bitch" refers to women (Stacker). This has happened so much and for so long, that when ever someone says this word and is referring to a woman, no one is fazed. Melle Mel, Snoop Dogg, and DJ Breakout are some of the founders of this popular genre that has many young people addicted to drugs. All of these genres have relationship to drug use the "fast life" to accomplish their musical styles as the basis life of each genre.

It is said that understanding music is different for everyone; like many things it is relative and left up to interpretation

How do lyrics change the development of music?

Lyrical value in music has a lot to do with how a song is perceived. With some music genres there are times in which lyrics take over the beat or rhythm might go. Some "violent lyrics is too powerful for normal listeners, especially children, teenagers, and psychologically weak ones" (Mahiri 55). In some rap lyrics, they speak of killing, bitches, and how life was growing up on the streets with drugs and the hard knocks of life. "Life on the streets is tough, death, prostitution, drugs, anyway to make profitable living" (Burns 111). The mood change from a jazz piece about love to listening to next piece about killing a moved one for raping your sister in the hard knocks of life causes the mood to change from soothing and warm to hateful and aggressive.

When a song is created, the composer just uses lyrics that he or she feels will get the point that they are trying to make across to the public. Different songs and lyrics may mean a different thing to different people. In this study done in order to find lyrics and violence, doctors look at how violent lyrics can control a person's perception on the world. "The study was taken from Feb. 1977 to Dec. 1994" (Anderson 119). The two genres that were primarily used in this study were Rock and Rap.

When rock music had violent lyrics the people that was used for research there attitudes and emotions were different then prior to listening to the song. "All of them were more aggressive towards political issues and towards there spouses, but necessarily in a negative way, but more aggression in speech and in there attitude in how they approached situations that involved emotional reaction" (Anderson 121).

As for the rap, genre people that were tested for this had varied emotional differences. 29% seemed more aggressive, 15% had no change, 11% felt more comfortable, 41% felt like it was a story telling session, and the other 4% and no data reported.

Can tempo and the change of beats in music change mood mediation?

Beats and timing is the basis of music. A little tap on wood is music. Anything rhythmic that changes emotion and moods is what is being researched here. A fast paced rock or ska song makes people (in study shown here by William Balch) want to get up and dance, but when it comes to a love Ballard by Luther Vandros or Barry White, a feeling of warmth and longing for your significant other becomes evident. When asked of what colors can be used to see how they feel when listening to those two genre types, orange and red was used for rock and ska, blue was mostly used for the love Ballard. "Tempo and beats is what causes people to bounce there heads or to feel warmth within, causing energy levels to rise or to feel comfort" (Dossey E1).

In the world of sports, music is used everyday and everywhere, according to Dr. Thomas. Athletes use music to get