Music and Mood

Have you noticed different types of music influence your emotions, especially if there is vocal content? Depending on the subject matter of the song, thought patterns connect at different levels with matched memories or experiences evoking emotions that are related to the events, positive or negative. Moods change with different types of music, and the mood sets the stage for learning, and motivation. Though unseen in the photograph from Maui, Hawaii, there was a good sized audience that was motivated to dance on the side near the beach. After all, what would a Luau be without tribal drums and Hula dancers? Everyone's mood was uplifted from the music, and visual effects. People were also motivated to learn how to do the Hula dance, that otherwise would not have attempted.

Music and songs that are upbeat and positive increase joy, energy, and motivation. Bach, and Mozart are two classical music composers used today in products available to enhance learning. There are other types of music in different genre's such as Techno, Country, Pop, and more that may give an individual an uplift. The music does not have to be classical, but should promote positive feelings.

Listening to music that causes a low feeling, sadness, or anxiety interfere with positive processes by influencing neurological signals for fight or flight, depression, and releases hormones that can cause illness. Any music attached to trauma an individual has experienced will also trigger negative memories which can cause fight or flight, anxiety, or anger that detracts from positive thoughts.

A musically provoked good mood, or sense of calm and happiness promotes neural activity that effects the creative side of the brain. Any type of 'bad' mood promotes neural activity that changes body chemistry that produces depression, sadness, remorse, negativity.

Deanna Choi (2012), gives a TED presentation that explains how the brain is stimulated to promote learning, or positive thinking.

There are types of music made specifically for meditation, or increasing positive thinking called Isochronic tones, and Sonicaid, which use Alpha/Beta/Theta/Delta, and Gamma waves or frequencies to acquire access to specific parts of the brain to stimulate motivation, creativity, and successful thinking. Certain tones increase the ability to relax, study, and stimulates memory recall.

The different frequencies are received individually in the left and right ear, and some simultaneously. The tones help change mood, promoting positive reaction, clear thinking, balanced chemistry that leads to better decision making, and over all feeling of wellness. Any music that is uplifting to bring a sense of peace, and wholeness can be considered Inspirational.

According to Finer Minds team each of the waves holds specific purposes and actions.

"1) Beta (14-40Hz) – The Waking Consciousness And Reasoning Wave - These are associated with waking consciousness, alertness, logic and critical reasoning. They also translate into stress, anxiety and restlessness (the nagging inner voice).

2) Alpha (7.5-14Hz) – The Deep Relaxation Wave - deep relaxation, an optimal time to program the mind for success, and heightens imagination, visualization, memory, learning and concentration.

3) Theta (4-7.5Hz) – The Light Meditation And Sleeping Wave - Present in deep meditation, light sleep, and REM dream state, caught between Alpha (drifting to sleep), and waking from a deep sleep (Delta).Also considered to be spiritual connection.

4) Delta (0.5-4Hz) – The Deep Sleep Wave - This frequency is the slowest, for deep sleep, and transendental meditation, and considered the gateway to the universal mind and the collective unconscious, where information received is otherwise unavailable at the conscious level. (Linked to healing processes).

5) Gamma (above 40Hz) – The Insight Wave - Recently discovered, fastest frequency, bursts of insight and high-level information processing. (Finerminds, 2012)"

Positive thinking comes when an individual takes steps to change his or her mood, and music is an important step. Once again, diet and proper rest help too, but music, tones, calm unwarranted thought patterns, creating new pathways for neurons to travel with creativity.

Speaking to the mirror also helps, using positive words, affirmations, raising the eyebrows slightly, smiling. In an article by Emily Sohn, (2011), Why Music Makes You Happy, submitted to Discovery News Online, "...music causes the brain to release Dopamine, a chemical involved in both motivation and addiction". Dopamine chemistry associates with 'feel good', or reward in the brain and body.

Sohn also noted that research by Valerie Salimpoor, a neuroscientist at McGill University in Montreal, revealed "...an increase of heart rate, pulse, breathing that contribute to a feeling of reward" (2011). The sense of reward became motivation and stimulation within the neuron network.

After extended study in Psychology to obtain a Master of Science degree, and my spouse working with live bands, it became evident to me that music has great influence on individuals, and groups of people. I could see for myself how someone would come into the lounge in a negative mood, and after a few songs in they changed mood and began to enjoy themselves, smiling, and socializing with others. The ill effects of dark music also became clear taking people on a downward plunge to depression.

Feeling the effects of music myself helped me to understand differences, what stirs motivation, and the opposite, what triggers sadness or depression. It was also clear that certain book stores and libraries tend to play uplifting classical music, to inspire readers.

From our early childhood we learn with the help of music. Children learn the English alphabet utilizing a song of A, B, C's. Multiplication tables are learned with the help of music, and all the academic movies or videos' viewed at school contained music that changed with the scenes, including biology! Music changes the mood of children who would otherwise have difficulty learning, and motivates his or her neural transmitters to spark into action.

Music:

• The result of vibrating molecules through objects, air or water creating waves of tone.
• Each of the waves; Beta, Alpha, Theta, Delta, and Gamma hold specific purposes and actions.
• Certain tones increase the ability to relax, study, and stimulates memory recall.
• Chemical release of dopamine influences motivation, or 'feel good' reward sensation.

I used different styles of music for each segment of my book while writing to increase the mood according to what was taking place in the scene. If there was a romantic moment, I played music that was enticing to the senses, and when there was a scene involving danger, I used music that was intense, or something that would build with intensity.

Setting the mood, can surely enhance the imagination for writing!

Music comes as waves creating tones, also vibrating our eardrum, or sound receptor then transforming into electrical signals that our brain decodes and spreads the information to other parts of the brain through neural transmitters. Enjoyable sounds trigger dopamine that helps bring about relaxation, and a greater ability to study, or concentrate. These factors contribute to an avenue to change negative thinking or behavior patterns to positive ones.

My suggestion is if you are in an environment where music or sounds are creating a negative emotion, or stirring negative memories, either change the tones or music in that environment, or remove yourself and find a positive one.

If there is a desire to learn something new, locate some meditation music, or upbeat music that will influence the neurotransmitters for positive grasp of new information. No two people are alike. Music that creates goose bumps for one person may be a total turn off to another. Find which type of music makes you feel good, whole, encouraged.

You Tube has music channels where you can search out various genre's like Techno, Meditation, House, Orchestra, Instrumentals, Vocals, Country, World Music. Well, you get the picture, check it out and find your motivation.

Please feel free to ask questions in the comment area, and I will do my best to answer, or at least locate an answer for you. I am sure I will also learn some new things along the way as well.

College of Liberal Arts. Illustration How The Brain Divides Its Work. Retrieved December 7, 2014.

Finerminds Team, (2012). Meet Your Brain Waves. Retrieved December 7, 2014.

Sohn, E., (2011). Discovery News Online. Why Music Makes You Happy. Retrieved December 7, 2014.