Upbeat music may really help boost your mood
A recent research at the University of Missouri has discovered that an individual can indeed successfully try to be happier, especially when cheery music aids the process.
A recent research at the University of Missouri has discovered that an individual can indeed successfully try to be happier, especially when cheery music aids the process.
This research points to ways that people can actively improve their moods and corroborates earlier MU research. “Our work provides support for what many people already do – listen to music to improve their moods,” said lead author Yuna Ferguson, who performed the study. “Although pursuing personal happiness may be thought of as a self-centered venture, research suggests that happiness relates to a higher probability of socially beneficial behavior, better physical health, higher income and greater relationship satisfaction.”
In two studies by Ferguson, participants successfully improved their moods in the short term and boosted their overall happiness over a two week period.
During the first study, participants improved their mood after being instructed to attempt to do so, but only if they listened to the upbeat music of Copland, as opposed to the somber Stravinsky.
Other participants, who simply listened to the music without attempting to change their mood, also didn’t report a change in happiness. In the second study, participants reported higher levels of happiness after two weeks of lab sessions in which they listened to positive music while trying to feel happier, compared to control participants who only listened to music.
The study was published in The Journal of Positive Psychology.