The Psychology of Music

BY KATIE CLARK

“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, fight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything”. - Plato

Like many others, I need to listen to music daily, it is an essential part of my daily routine. Listening to music is an enigmatic human behavior traced back to the Paleolithic period that may have been a form of communication between early humans. The history of music is rich and varied, with diferent cultures and periods producing music used for a variety of purposes, including religious ceremonies, celebrations, entertainment, and art. The earliest sign of music is The Hurrian Hymn: this piece is part of about 36 hymns that were found in Ugarit, Syria. This is the oldest surviving melody and is over 3,400 years old.

In terms of psychology, music has displayed several efects on the human brain. For instance, listening to music can release dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure. Humans are frst introduced to sound between the frst 12 and 16 weeks in the womb, initially creating audio-triggered responses in the brain. Music is a robust and emotional experience for many people, as its algorithmic sound sends signals to the fve parts of the brain, creating an emotional and sometimes physical response. The way the human brain responds to sound, and the understanding of music theory/composition, can allow musicians to build patterns and harmonic structures.

Musicians have diferent brains from those who are not musically profcient. The brain responds and reacts constantly, it reorganizes patterns and adapts to what we become conditioned to. According to Neuroscience News, musicians’ brains have stronger brain structure and function, along with better memory than non-musicians. With these cognitive advantages, it can be said that musicians may actually have a higher I.Q. Therefore, you could argue that musicians are quite superior.

Studies done by music therapy practitioners at the National Institute of Health have found that music can not only alter mood. But it can also alter pain and heart rate. For example, more upbeat music can stimulate adrenaline and increase blood pressure, whereas slow music has the opposite efect. But this study is quite relative. What one person considers relaxing music is subjective to another. So when choosing music with a desired emotional outcome in mind, this is a way of using music as a mood regulator. With music’s combination of rhythm, pitch/tone, and volume — there is no other stimulus as complex.

Studies show you can now judge people by their music taste after all, but only to some degree. This suggests that one’s music taste often defines who they are.

The data below is from “Music Preferences and Your Personality” By Kendra Cherry.

Pop- Extroverted, honest, and conventional. Although pop music lovers were hardworking and had high self-esteem, researchers suggest that they are less creative and more uneasy than those enamored by other musical styles. Rap/hip hop-Despite the stereotype that rap lovers are aggressive or violent, the researchers found no such link. However, the rap fans tended to have high self-esteem and were generally more outgoing than fans of other styles.

Country- These fans typically identifed as hardworking, conventional, outgoing, and conservative. Although country music frequently centers on heartbreak, people who prefer it tend to be emotionally stable. They also ranked lower than others in openness to experience.

Rock/heavy metal- Rock and heavy metal often project images of anger, bravado, and aggression. However, this study found such fans to be gentle, creative, and introverted. They also tended to have low self-esteem.

Indie- Fans of the indie genre registered as introverted, intellectual, and creative, but less hardworking and gentle than fans of other styles. Passivity, anxiousness, and low self-esteem were other notable personality characteristics.

Classical- The study’s classical music lovers were generally somewhat introverted but at ease with themselves. Creativity and healthy self-esteem were common among them.

Jazz, blues, and soul- Extroverted with high self-esteem. They also tend to be very creative, intelligent, and at ease.

A survey went around EPHS asking students what genre they fnd the most relaxing, and Indie won by a high majority. Indie is a sub-genre of rock music that originated in the 1970s and 1980s. This genre has a natural progression and is full of inclusivity and breaking boundaries. All in all, indie music has many psychological benefts. It can help decrease stress, anxiety, depression, and even better memory.

Music seems to possess much power over people. It allows us to connect with ourselves and one another. A study done at the University of Chicago found that the music you listen to may be able to tell how your brain processes information. This research suggests that humans have two ways of reacting to the world: empathizing (social cues/understanding others emotions) and systemizing (the drive to analyze and construct systems). Empathizers enjoy emotionally rich music ranging from indie, rock, folk, and country. While systemizers gravitate towards structural music, like classical and jazz. A result of this study also showed that empathetic people feel music diferently than others. In general, those that are more empathetic have distinct brain patterns which make them more sensitive to things like words and sounds. This could mean the music people intake may resonate very personally. On the other hand, systemizers have a strong interest in systems, and the rules that manage the world. With that said, this group prefers music with much intellectual complexity, as heard in most classical genres.

For many of us, music is a part of who we are and how we identify with ourselves. The connection between music taste and personality has become so strong that we often fnd ourselves quick to judge and skim one’s music playlists to understand them more. However, many stereotypes can still lie in this judgment, we still classify ourselves and others within certain genres. Research done by Myers–Briggs has linked genres with the 16 personality types.

Punk: Logicians (INTP) (51%), Mediators (INFP) (49%), Virtuosos (ISTP) (48%)

Jazz: Commanders (ENTJ) (64%), Protagonists (ENFJ) (64%), Campaigners (ENFP) (62%)

Classical: Commanders (ENTJ) (79%), Architects (INTJ) (78%), Debaters (ENTP) (76%)

Rock: Debaters (ENTP) (84%), Mediators (INFP) (82%), Logicians (INTP) (82%)

Alternative Rock: Debaters (ENTP) (88%), Mediators (INFP) (86%), Advocates (INFJ) (84%)

Pop: Entertainers (ESFP) (88%), Consuls (ESFJ) (80%), Adventurers (ISFP) (78%)

Metal: Entrepreneurs (ESTP) (50%), Logicians (INTP) (48%), Architects (INTJ) (42%)

Hip-Hop: Entrepreneurs (ESTP) (58%), Entertainers (ESFP) (57%), Executives (ESTJ) (57%)

Country: Consuls (ESFJ) (53%), Entertainers (ESFP) (52%), Protagonists (ENFJ) (46%)

The goal of any musical artist is to build a passionate fanbase through good music. The easiest way to do that is to create an album built around a variety of songs. But the album recording process is easier said than done. For many artists, it takes many years to produce and perfect their projects.

One EPHS teacher has been through the album recording process himself. ENN teacher Perry Kennedy is the drummer for a local punk-rock band, Nemesissy (described by Kennedy as “childlike and sinister”, for the past three years. Over the course of those three years, they have been writing and recording their EP Nonfction. He ofered some insight on what the process is like.

First, it all starts with an idea. Songwriters write and rewrite their songs, some over the course of months, some in the course of a day. Of the seven songs on Nonfction, fve “were written when [Kennedy] joined the band, but they weren’t really fushed out”. Meanwhile, a song not on the EP (check out their YouTube) came to life more quickly: “Within two hours, we have the song.”

After perfecting the songs, the artists then get to work on creating the stories of the album. Some center their albums around a certain theme or message, while others go for a more abstract route, as was the case with Nemesissy. “We’re a hodgepodge,” says Kennedy. Nemesissy’s songwriters like to create their own characters and write about them, such as “Hat Girl”: “I remember seeing this girl around with this hat all the time, I wonder what happened to her. So let’s make her a character and write a song about her.” Or there’s “Trash Wife”: “Our two singers were cleaning and picking up laundry while they’re sipping wine and watching Netfix, and they thought, ‘I’m such a trash wife!’ So they wrote this.” Or they might not even use characters