Does music have an impact on a persons mentality?

#1

I curious about something…

Does listening to emo music make a person seriously fucked up…

Or grunge…looking at the lyrics of some grunge songs and emo songs…

It makes me wonder if repeated exposure to that…with it being the thing only thing they listen on a consistent basis. I wonder if it has an effect on a persons mentality and thinking patterns. Like repeatedly listening to the lyrics of some songs of any genre trains the brain or something…

Ive heard of death metal being used as music to torture terrorists…

And things like chris cornell and cobain committing suicide…and marilyn manson abuse stories…

Tl;dr…
Does music have an impact on a persons mentality?..

I think the answer is yes…but people are different…so what do you think?

I could have written this better…not my intention to be offensive…

If this is a stupid topic…then delete it…my bad.

#2

A very interesting question!:+1: @bfk

Every kind of media, in word, writing, image, movie and sound influences the consumer and his thinking, because as a rule we can only think (and creatively deal with it) what we have previously filled in our heads.
So it is conceivable that negative input is permanently linked with negative associations and thought processes are automated, which unconsciously impacts the mood, thinking and acting. In the good as in the bad sense.
That’s how I see it.

#3

Of course it does. I’ve heard it’s useful to listen to classical music.

#4

Try it out on yourself, and look what happens, I’d say :slightly_smiling_face:. In my case, it’s an absolute positive.

BUT…

That’s just me. A lot of scientific publishing has been done about this, and what I get from it in very very very brief is that familiarity matters. So, If you listen to goth a lot, it will not change your character or mood, but rather vice versa: you choose it, because it matches emotions that you think you recognise, and so they may even enforce them, sometimes even self-fulfilling. What these emotions are, is quite personal, which is good, because otherwise people who listen to reggae would be completely oblivious to what people who listen to disco feel. Both musics just use different personal entries to comparable emotions, although there appear to be common denominators for what we generally perceive as sad or happy.

Visit Google Scholar with a clever search item, and you’ll find lots of it. I totally agree that this is a very interesting topic, so I’d better cut myself short here :stuck_out_tongue:

#5

Most definitely music influences peoples personality. I think early hip hop is great…but modern mainstream rap and trap, characterized by lyrics that glorify street life, is having a negative influence on youth. It’s easy to see a correlation between theses youths behaviour/mentality, and the artists they look up to. I realize this to be a controversial view, but I think it’s just common sense. Music can have a big impact on the listener…I know because I was once an impressionable kid too.

Of course music has the power to influence attitude, fashion, etc. It happened to me too! As a kid discovering electronic music, it pushed me in a certain direction. That led me down the rabbit hole with raving, DJing/producing and all the jazz that comes with that. That scene clicked with me…it had a major effect on who I am today.

Music is #1 when it comes to influence…

#6

I wont say anything too complex because I am on my phone, but some musicians/bands I listen to according to season. Sublime and white boy reggae, alt country in the summer. Amy Winehouse and Nada Surf in the autumn. Post holiday winter usually go back to DnB and deep Dubstep, Minimal Techno, Dub Techno. Spring has no special music for some reason.

#7

I’m not so sure music affects personality in any long term structural way. More likely our personality chooses music that “speaks to us” emotionally.

However! Music most definitely rouses emotion while it’s being listened to… and since humans take action based on emotion (rarely based on logic) music does influence your actions while actively listening.

Fife and Drums, Bagpipes, Trumpets giving courage while marching off to battle is a great example.

Some others:
Movie Theme Music
All forms of Dance Music
Work Songs and Field Hollers
Protest Songs
National Anthems and Alma Maters
Holiday Music
The song you and your lover share as “our song”
Etc.

I don’t believe listening to Death Metal leads to killers… but a killer listening to Death Metal might just find themselves “in the mood.”

Not saying I’m right… just saying… :man_shrugging:

#8

@1roomstudio I think we are largely on the same page there - a page with funny notes :musical_note: on it :grin:

@bfk If you are really interested in it, possibly Musik im Kopf by neuro-scientist Manfred Spitzer would be very interesting to read? And there is much more :man_student:

Erm yes, it’s in German, but possibly there is an English version of it as well (I have not found one yet). For some that will not be a problem …@_Mo? .

#9

:stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

you made me curious now @Pleudoniem you have a link ready?

BUT now way I would do a english summary about :nerd_face:

@Icewind and @1roomstudio did good points as well, very interesting to read @relic approach by seasons!
Never heard that before.

#10

You can’t read it online I’m afraid, and it’s quite hefty. I’m afraid you’ll have to order it. I found it at Bol, here

https://www.bol.de/shop/home/artikeldetails/A1048033935

#11

Thats a pity for the moment.
You read it? What was your special interest in this topic then?

#12

Honestly it is a habit that just became ritual over time. I should have said so, but that was kind if my point. I think the music created the behavior even though it might seem the other way around. In didnt even notice I was doing it up until maybe 4-5 years ago.

#13

I am broadly interested and I love to read a lot. As a musician, and being interested in psychology, I thought this was quite interesting. My thesis was on linguistic rhythm in rap music, and that required reading into what minds do when they listen to rhythm, both in language as well as in music. This book fit nicely with that, and I can read German :slightly_smiling_face:

The book was purposely written in an accessible style, so that people who are not specialists as well as insiders would be able to read it. That is Spitzer’s style.

#14

Listening to black metal makes me feel like burning down some churches

#15

Well, I’m pretty sure that listening to Depeche Mode since I was a teen has made me into a thoughtful, nihilistic pervert.

#16

I can see depeche mode as gloomy, but what specifically about them lead to perversion? :thinking:

#17

You must not have heard much DM, or haven’t thought much about the lyrics. They’re rather famous for debauchery, especially Martin Gore.

#18

Interesting. I’ll have a listen.