Have you ever been bummed, whether for good reason or no reason, and then found your mood transformed by a really great playlist? Ever found yourself screaming “I love this song!” many songs in a row?

For me, this comes in the form of a country playlist on a sunny day. I don’t listen to country music that often, but the second I’m driving on an open road with the sun on my face, I crave some Keith Urban and Thomas Rhett (the happy stuff, not the my-dog-died-and-my-girlfriend-left-me stuff). 

Music has an incredible ability to take us outside of our current circumstances, and like most art, it spans cultures, languages, and time. 

This isn’t just anecdotal. Science shows that music can: 

• Reduce stress

• Boost mood quickly 

• Help you express yourself

• Prevent disease, because our psychological state is inextricably linked to our immune system

Interestingly, music’s effect on us doesn’t change much as we age. According to an article in the National Library of Medicine, “Singing to new-borns, a widespread activity practised worldwide, has been demonstrated to have valuable benefits such as improving mother-infant interaction and reducing infant distress (Vlismas et al., 2013; Mualem and Klein, 2013a). In the same way, music has been reported as an aid in the reduction of anxiety and agitation in older adults with senile dementia (Sung et al., 2012)." From the beginning of our lives, to the very end, music’s positive effects are far-reaching. 

I encourage you to find a playlist on Spotify, Youtube, Apple Music or the radio that boosts your mood. A few genres that help shake me out of a funk: 

• Reggae

• Oldies 

• Motown/Doo Wop

• Happy Country 

• Top 40

• Hip-Hop 

• Jam Bands (not actually my cup of tea, but a lot of people swear by them)

If you use a platform like Spotify, you can also just search for titles that sound appealing. For example, “100 Most Uplifting Songs Ever” is a good one on Spotify, as is “Beach Tunes”, if you like a mix of just about everything. My personal country playlist is titled “Don’t Forget Your Roots”. You can have fun with this - start searching for a specific feeling you’re chasing, and I guarantee that with a little patience, the internet will deliver. And if you don’t pay for a subscription service, YouTube is aways a solid option.

No matter how you’re feeling today, music can elevate your experience by a notch or two if you take the time to seek out what feels good. 

Enjoy your weekend! I hope its full of jams that bring you joy. 

Sources:

https://jedfoundation.org/resource/how-music-can-improve-your-mental-health/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8566759/