{"id":43,"date":"2022-11-21T14:49:12","date_gmt":"2022-11-21T14:49:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mokv3500-group1.azurewebsites.net\/?p=43"},"modified":"2022-12-07T20:59:24","modified_gmt":"2022-12-07T20:59:24","slug":"exam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mokv3500-group1.azurewebsites.net\/index.php\/2022\/11\/21\/exam\/","title":{"rendered":"Music makes us happy – and that’s way too underrated"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Someday, during a regular walk or on your way to school or work, try to stop for 10 seconds to look around – that is short enough, so you won\u2019t look like a weirdo, but long enough to notice that probably the majority of strangers that will pass you on the street will be having their headphones on.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yes, they might be listening to their favourite podcast, or – what would fit our workaholic civilisation perfectly – even be on a business call. But we spend up to 18 hours per week on listening to music, and as 54% of us do so while commuting to work or school – there\u2019s no doubt that at least some of those around you would do as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there\u2019s absolutely nothing surprising about that. According to studies, listening to music is not only a popular leisure activity, but actually appears extremely beneficial for our health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Music – a remedy for everything?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever heard of such a thing as the amygdala? If not, that\u2019s the part of our brain that is activated by music influence. It\u2019s involved in processing and regulating our moods and emotions, and being active boosts the production of a pleasure hormone called dopamine. This one eventually helps in anxiety and depression reduction, but we\u2019ll get to that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking about hormones, listening to music can help us reduce stress – it regulates cortisol levels by releasing biochemical stress reducers. Moreover, thanks to this our brain pays less attention to pain signals, so we feel less of it. Some studies have even shown that sometimes music works more effectively in pain reduction than meditation! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here you can have a look to find out more about how listening to music is beneficial for us!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Music’s influence on human organism. Source: HeadphonesAddict article; 26 Undeniable Benefits of Listening to Music According to Science, 2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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So, as you can see – music is, indeed, a remedy to many of our struggles. But there is one thing that\u2019s not only proved by the info above, but probably the most obvious one – and the main, subconscious reason for us to save and enjoy our favourite tracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listening to music improves our mental well-being – just like that.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Either if you are a casual listener, an audiophile or a melomaniac, music that we hear affects our mood. Especially by activating frontal and temporal lobes of our brains, it influences our thinking, emotional state and general well being. Some kind of connection to the melody, lyrics and emotions expressed by them in a song makes us relieved in various everyday situations – just like ,,katharsis\u201d effect. According to psychology, when hearing sad songs, we amplify negative emotions regarding the hormone response with oxytocin and prolactin – which soothe the pain, reduce anxiety and bring us to our calm points. The authors of the study published in the Journal of Consumer Research<\/a> suggest that unhappy music provides a substitute for an empathic friend. They compared it to the preference most people have for someone who truly understands what you\u2019re going through. Similar process goes on with happy sounds – the difference lies in hormones, because this time it\u2019s dopamine and serotonin boost that comforts us. Furthermore, this reaction appears to be an anti-depression kind of treatment.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After stimulating our hearing, our mind responds with the comforting wave of feeling understood, just like if we\u2019d have a good, honest talk with a trusted friend. We identify with what we hear, and it doesn\u2019t require too much of an effort – just putting the record on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proof for it is everywhere around us!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

And no, we don\u2019t mean only reading articles and theoretical studies. Reading fun-facts about benefits from using Spotify daily, entertaining yourself by going to a concert or relaxing by putting on our favourite CD is common among the Internet and too easy. What really impresses is seeing the effects on a bigger scale. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had a closer look at European society to find out if there is any kind of connection between listening to music and happiness level per country. You know the phrase, ,,the easier – the better”? So it could not be more simple – all we did was to go through some statistics.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wait a minute – there are many ways to enjoy music. <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Indeed! Music can be consumed worldwide in many various ways, which makes each experience unique and so affecting. However, it\u2019s hardly possible to compare all the audiences, especially as we are all a part of several of them – being a Spotify or Tidal subscriber does not forbid us from participating in a concert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Weekly music engagement. Source: IFPI Engagement with Music; report, 2021<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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According to data provided by IFPI \u2018s research<\/a>, over 50% of music is consumed by streaming, what includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n