Senior Capstone ℅ 2019

5-24-2019

How Music Affects the Emotion and Behavior of People : An

Autoethnography

Bryan Daniel Zavala Cervantes

Los Angeles Leadership Academy HS, bzavala101136@laleadership.org
How Music Affects the Emotion and Behavior of People Zavala 1

Senior Capstone ℅ 2019

This paper will show how a person’s emotional, physical, and psychological state can be

enhanced through the action of listening to music of their choice. By choosing what type of

music regular individuals would like to listen to, their mood can be dictated. For example, by

listening to a song with a detrimental vibe to it, a person will bring their mood down to the

song’s detrimental tone. Moreover, by choosing to listen to music while performing any

physical activity, it will be noticeably easier to perform the task, and even more enjoyable. Thus

allowing people to perform at a higher level due to the boost in energy that music allows. In an

even more distinct scenario, studies have shown patients who listen to music before or after

surgery feel less physical discomfort as well as less anxiety. Even after surgery, patients have

shown to have a faster more enjoyable time with recovery process if they listen to music while

recuperating.

Keywords: ​Music, Emotional, Physical, Psychological, Enhance, Love, Motion

Acknowledgements
I would like to acknowledge who ever can relate to the idea within this paper.
How Music Affects the Emotion and Behavior of People Zavala 2

How Music Affects the Emotion and Behavior of People: An

Autoethnography

Bryan Daniel Zavala Cervantes

Los Angeles Leadership Academy HS, Los Angeles, California, USA

This paper will show how a person’s emotional, physical, and psychological state can be

enhanced through the action of listening to music of their choice. By choosing what type of

music regular individuals would like to listen to, their mood can be dictated. For example, by

listening to a song with a detrimental vibe to it, a person will bring their mood down to the

song’s detrimental tone. Moreover, by choosing to listen to music while performing any

physical activity it will be noticeably easier to perform the task, and even more enjoyable. Thus

allowing people to perform at a higher level due to the boost in energy that music allows. In an

even more distinct scenario, studies have shown patients who listen to music before or after

surgery feel less physical discomfort as well as less anxiety. Even after surgery, patients have

shown to have a faster more enjoyable time with recovery process if they listen to music while

recuperating.

The Incident

It was a rainy day, located within the cold, chilly season of winter 2016. I was ​sitting in

my fifth period waiting for the last hour of the school day to be over; but until then, I had to put

in work​. The teacher had given us a worksheet with seven questions on it. Three of which were

double; meaning in reality we had ten questions.​ Teachers love doing that don’t they? ​The rain
How Music Affects the Emotion and Behavior of People Zavala 3

was hitting the big, clear window beside my seat giving me access of the outside view. It

allowed me to have control over myself. I was procrastination proof. I grabbed my pencil and

started writing away, and completed the worksheet in less than ten minutes. The rest of the class

chose to spend their time playing video games on their iPhones. After five minutes of

completing my assigned work, boredom stumbled upon me. I reached to the left pocket attached

to my black, warm hoodie; I found myself lucky to have chosen to wear my hoodie wisely

because of earlier events, cloudy sky-areas, predicting the coming of the rain, and therefore

indirectly implying that I should cover up. I found an iPhone and a pair of earbuds, which

belonged to a friend of mine. I had forgotten I had offered my help to take care of them while

she had to exercise for a grade in the physical education class. I remembered she had told me

her password and had given me consent to listen to music, play games, and watch videos if I

ever got bored. I then decided to go through her gallery. Just playing, I am not a ​metiche.​ I

connected the earbuds into the headphone jack.

The earbuds immediately started blasting music. I lowered the volume enough for the

sounds of the audio to keep my ear from exploding. I chose the “shuffle” option located on the

top of the initial open page that appeared when I turned her phone on. A guitar melody softly

kissed the inside of my ear, and it was soothing. Milliseconds after the fingertip of my index

finger had made contact with the human made, electronic screen of the apparatus known as a

phone, the song began playing, and I heard, “Give me love like her, cause lately I’ve been

waking up alone”. I enjoyed the lyricism and continued listening. Then, the song hit, “Give a

little time to me, we’ll burn this out, we’ll play hide-and-seek to turn this around, all I want is

the taste that your lips allow, my, my, my, my give me love”. The guitar melody in the
How Music Affects the Emotion and Behavior of People Zavala 4

background, alongside the raspy voice of the singer complemented the emotional tone in the

beautifully written lyrics were sung. I felt every word. “All I want is the taste that your lips

allow” I repeated to myself. I loved how Ed Sheeran had structured that sentence.

Once the song was done, I was motivated to write my own love songs. Love song. No

other emotion was in me other than the one we relate to the color red and potentially pink, love.

Just love. ​Amor​. I’ve been in love with writing about love ever since. I feel amazed by the

power obtained by my fingertips that my brain controls, allowing me to cry emotions through

the extremities hanging from my right hand in the form of art in grammar which holds the pain

within my experienced soul; like a cloud holds rain hoping to rain upon someone who loves the

rain as much as I do. That one song had invited me to the world of recognizing new genres of

music including new singers, a search for understandment- and the ability to relate those

ingrained feelings into my past experiences as songs. As time went by and I dug deeper into the

universal language of music, I was moved by many more genres and topics of songs. I began to

listen to classical music and shortly after I was trying to learn how to play piano. I then got

involved into the world of dancing through music, especially Spanish music. The way Spanish

music encourages my body to move to the rhythm, making my brain release ​endorphins,

dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin chemicals as I feel myself when I let myself go on the words

and beats of the song. In fact, I have written Bachata songs, as well as salsa songs, because this

is how much passion music gives me, to create. Furthermore, I now listen to these songs in my

everyday life. It does not matter if I am home alone, or out for a walk, or working out, or in the

bathroom making my family members hold in their necessities while I use my phone in the

bathroom. ​Don’t judge. You’ve done it too. Yeah, I got you. You filthy little human. You can’t lie
How Music Affects the Emotion and Behavior of People Zavala 5

anymore. I’ll snitch on you. Just playing. You see? I told you! I am not a metiche. Don’t worry,

your evil personality stays between us.

Analysis

Introduction

I used music as a way to express myself and I used it as an outlet to explore various

aspects of my artistic interests. In fact, music pushed me to find what my main interest really is;

entertainment. Thus allowing me to express my emotions and thoughts on paper, enhance my

physical activities, and endure my psychological state; therefore making me a stronger more

observative and analytical individual. Before I introduce the ways music benefits general critical

aspects of an individual’s existence, I will define the main key terms involved within this

particular topic of the concept of self-internalization. Enhance in general terms means to better

something or someone. Emotion ties to the emotional state to oneself; could either be a positive,

negative, or neutral emotional state. Physical has to do with the physical muscular system of the

body. How your body moves and performs given tasks by the brain. Lastly, psychological

defines as the way our brain reacts to an exposure of any kind. In other words, affecting, or

arising in the mind; related to the mental and emotional state of a person.

Study of Focus

The focus of this piece of writing is to discuss music in different scenarios to build a

conclusion that will inform the impact music can have on the general public. Within this paper,

reliable authors such as Juslin, P. N., & Sloboda, J. A., ​Karageorghis, C. I., & Terry, P. C., Julia

C. Hailstone, Rohani Omar, Susie M. D. Henley, Chris Frost, Michael G. Kenward & Jason D.
How Music Affects the Emotion and Behavior of People Zavala 6

Warren and Helen Lindquist Bonny will be used to show that from examining the psychological

effects that music has on the brain, it is evident that music can enhance an individual’s

emotional, physical and psychological state.

Music can enhance the emotional state of an individual.

People are able to regulate or enhance their mood through the use of music. According

to an online article titled “How Does Music Affect Your Mood?” it states:

people who listened to upbeat music could improve their moods and boost their

happiness in just two weeks. In the study, participants were instructed to try to improve

their mood, but they only succeeded when they listened to the upbeat music of Copland

as opposed to the sadder tunes of Stravinsky. (Boothby, 2019, para. 12)

This quote explains that by exposing the emotional state of an individual to music, people are

capable of regulating their mood towards a more positive path or a more depressive one,

depending to what type of music it is that they are exposing themselves to. Furthermore,

“Normal listeners are able to achieve high levels of agreement about the emotional content of

particular musical pieces, demonstrating that alteration in the structural properties of music can

reliably alter its emotional valence” (​Hailstone, et al., 2009). This quote explains how the

outcome of the addition of an individual’s perception of music and the type of music they listen

show that regular individuals are affected by music when it comes to regulating or enhancing

our mood through its usage. This happens due to the ​motion ​of music, meaning,

The emotional significance of any particular piece of music, whether it be happy or sad;
How Music Affects the Emotion and Behavior of People Zavala 7

for example, major chords are perceived to be cheerful, minor ones sad. The tempo or

movement in time is another component of this, slower music seeming less joyful than

faster rhythm. (Juslin & Sloboda, 2001, pg. 29)

This quote shows how it is that our brain goes to categorize a piece of music; depending on how

fast or slow the beat is would be the defining factor that would either allow our emotional state

to be enhanced or diminished. After analyzing those three quotes from three different reliable

sources, it is fairly evident that music does play a role when it comes to manipulating our mood

with the choice of what kind of music, uplifting or degrading, an individual decides to listen to.

​ unctions of dopamine and memory (Radiyyah Hussein, 2019)

Figure 1. F

The image above shows the sections which Dopamine, one of the brain’s four ​happy

chemicals, affects the brain. In the image, the middle section which three blue arrows point at

it’s called the pituitary gland. This section in the brain is sensitive to all four ​happy c​ hemicals

that our brain creates; meaning, it feels them all. Most importantly, a chemical called oxytocin,
How Music Affects the Emotion and Behavior of People Zavala 8

better known as the ​love ​chemical. It is known as the ​love ​chemical because it is mainly released

during sexual encounters as well as when people are attached. In fact,

One review of research into oxytocin​ states​ that the hormone's impact on ‘pro-social

behaviors’ and emotional responses contributes to relaxation, trust, and psychological stability.

Brain oxytocin also​ appears to​ reduce​ stress​ responses, including anxiety. These effects have

been seen in a number of species​. ​(Weber, 2017, para. 20)

This shows why people tend to feel relaxed and even safe when they are around someone whom

they are attached to; it is because of the oxytocin chemical being released when the brain

realizes the body it controls is near a person whom it find ‘attractive; therefore allowing an

individual’s emotional state to feel trust and empathy towards another person. This sensation of

love in the brain can also be triggered by music. In fact, music tickles the same areas affected by

the brain’s ​happy

chemicals. The

image shows the

brain under the

influence of

music. In the

image it is shown

which parts of the

brain are enhanced

while listening to

Figure 2.​ Music and the Brain. (2018)

How Music Affects the Emotion and Behavior of People Zavala 9

music. In the image the Nucleus accumbens and amygdala regions in the brain are introduced,

and those regions just so happen to be involved with emotional reactions by music; hence why

people feel good while listening to people’s prefered songs. This reaction to and usage of music

to provoke and percieve emotion is not only found on humans, but also on animals. This trait

can be seen especially on birds as “Birds use song, call notes and behavior to communicate with

each other. Birds use sound and action to scare off predators or warn other birds about danger,

to attract a mate or to defend one's territory” (Almond, 2017, para. 1). Birds will sing to attract a

mate, meaning they use the melodious sounds that they create with the hope to arouse a feeling

of interest and love in another of their kind. Dolphins have shown this behaviour too, they tend

to communicate by singing. If oxytocin is the chemical of love, then music should be the

language of love.

Music can enhance the physical state of an individual.

In addition to regulating mood, music can also alter a person’s physical state. According

to an article published in 1997, it is proved that,

listening to music can produce ergogenic effects in terms of improved motor

performance and increased aerobic endurance, and can also enhance the exercise

experience. The proposed mechanisms through which music produces psychophysical

benefits include lowered perceived effort, arousal control, improved affective states, and

a synchronization effec​t. (​Karageorghis & Terry)

In other words, music can alter the a person’s athletic performance by distracting the brain from

physical exertion, meaning shifting attention and focus from what is being performed to what is

being listened to; therefore allowing the brain to exert force more effortlessly and even
How Music Affects the Emotion and Behavior of People Zavala 10

synchronize to the beat of the music and relate it to the activity that is being executed. In

addition, music can also distract people from fatigue itself as “ostensibly, music may increase

work output or improve emotions that accompany exercise by inhibiting the psychological

feedback associated with physical exertion and fatigue” (Karageorghis & Terry, 1997). This

allows for better understanding as to how music can help one's physical performance when

synchronizing music and the physical activity that is being performed; music allows to shift

focus from the physical activity into the music itself therefore allowing the body to perform

with a little less effort than a person would if they were not listening to music.

Furthermore, music can also help distract the body from fatigue, allowing it to last

longer in a that is being performed. In fact, “sports scientists at Brunel University in the UK, a

world-leading research hub on music for athleticism, have demonstrated that music can reduce

your rate of perceived effort by 12% and improve your endurance by 15%” (Ruani, para. 16).

With that being stated it is clear that music alters the body in a way in which it allows us to

exert more effort, while simultaneously have better endurance; therefore last longer with not so

much effort. It is like using a drug that only contains beneficial side effects, but without it being

legal. In fact, music being ridiculously helpful while being legal has allowed world-class

athletes to use it to their advantage too. As a medal-winning fencer,

Damara Wozniak listens to heavy bass and dance music to help pump her up before

matches. According to W Magazine, her workout music playlist includes “anything with

a beat” and features artists like Ellie Goulding, Major Lazer and Drake. Training nearly

16 to 19 hours each week, Wozniak uses the speed and sounds of heavy bass music to

help amp her up before she takes to the mat (Sony, 2018, para. 2).
How Music Affects the Emotion and Behavior of People Zavala 11

This quote states that even world-class athletes listen to music to enhance their athletic

performance and boost up their confidence to give their all at world-class athletic events.

Music can enhance the psychological state of an individual.

Music can be used as therapy to enhance the state of mind of an individual. ​Music as

therapy tends to be underused as doctors’ methods rely on medication, when in reality it has

been shown that by trying to fix what is inside rather than what is outside, better or faster results

can be produced. Meaning, instead of taking medicine to relieve muscular pain, music can help

do the job.​ ​Such information was found on the Healthline website “people who listened to

music before, during, or after surgery experienced less pain and anxiety, compared to patients

who did not listen to music. The music listeners didn’t even need as much pain medication”

(2019, para. 18). This shows the therapeutic side of music as it has shown to battle anxiety

amongst patients undergoing surgery.

Another example of music being used as therapy is when,

a unique orchestra for people with dementia helped improve their mood and boost their

self-confidence, according to researchers at the Bournemouth University Dementia

Institute (BUDI) in Dorset, U.K. The orchestra is one of several BUDI research projects

that aims to demonstrate how people with dementia can still learn new skills and have

fun. (​Boothby​, 2019, para. 31)

This example demonstrates how music can be used by people with dementia to enhance their

mental and emotional state; therefore allowing them to still experience and show happiness

even under the control of the psychological disorder known as dementia.

How Music Affects the Emotion and Behavior of People Zavala 12

To better understand why this is a miracle, it is necessary to first identify what demential

really is and the chaos it causes. First of all,

Dementia is a term used to describe the symptoms that occur when there's a decline in

brain function. Several different diseases can cause dementia. Many of these diseases are

associated with an abnormal build-up of proteins in the brain. This build-up causes nerve

cells to function less well and ultimately die. As the nerve cells die, different areas of the

brain shrink. (NHS, para. 1)

In other words, dementia is sort of a system of brain malfunctions that causes other mental

complications. Some of these complications have been identified as alzheimer's, anxiety,

hallucinations, mood swings and difficulty in communication. To know that music can actually

still bring a sensation of relief to people under those circumstances should be called a miracle.

Overall, music helps psychologically by regulating pain and anxiety in the body,

allowing people to feel less negative emotions and let in more positive ones into their brain,

which allows them to strive for a state of well-being and personal satisfaction.

Opinion

Listening to music has positively affected me in many ways. It has helped me boost my

mood when I felt down or simply unmotivated to do anything. It has helped me overcome

anxious moments within my everyday life, as well as simply make me a happier person. This is

because I expose myself to it. Being thirteen years old at the time, with a lot of time spent home

alone and undergoing crucial problems such as low self esteem, anxiety, depression, loneliness,

etc., I understood that in life there will only ever be two things in this world that could keep me

moving forward: myself and music. Due to personal experiences; being let down by people
How Music Affects the Emotion and Behavior of People Zavala 13

whom I praised, being left alone by people who promised always being there, being seen broken

in pieces but no one ever caring enough to at least help me clean the dust from my broken self, I

deducted that music would not lag on me, hang up on me, cancel me, ghost me, leave me. It will

always be one click away. In fact, I could just think of my favorite song at any moment I want.

This does not mean I am resentful. I still dedicate time to making other people happy

and helping them to do their best on everything. I love making someone feel like a somebody. I

love respecting people. All I have learned is that when I give my attention, care, and love to

people and they leave, I did not lose them, they lost me. Music has helped me regulate my mood

and thoughts to help me understand and develop such mentality. That is why I also let music

distract me from physical activities. When I am working out, as soon as I put my headphones on

it is go time. Whether I am running or lifting weights, music gives me that extra mile or extra

repetition I need to reach personal satisfaction. This is why I agree with the results I have found

throughout the research process that I dove into. The results are evident, at least on me, though I

firmly believe music could impact anyone's life if one exposes oneself to it.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the artistic soundwaves and rhythmic patterns in the form of music has

shown to improve an individual’s emotional, physical, and psychological state when used in

different scenarios within our life. This because of our perception to it. If we allow positive

uplifting music into our life, we will see an increase in happiness and overall enhanced mood. It

will distract ourselves from little things such as running or exercising, to more complex

concepts such as anxiety and dementia, to allow us as individuals undergoing crisis to still retain

a positive perspective of life.

How Music Affects the Emotion and Behavior of People Zavala 14

References

Almond, H. (2017). “How Do Birds Communicate?” ​Siencing. ​Retrieved from

https://sciencing.com/birds-communicate-4567063.html

Boothby, S. (2017) “Does Music Affect Your Mood?.” ​Healthline.​ Retrieved from

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/mental-listening-to-music-lifts-or-reinforces-

ood-051713#2

“Causes of dementia.”(2018). ​NHS​. Retrieved from

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dementia/causes/#

Hailstone, J. C., Omar, R., Henley, S. M. D., Frost, C., Kenward, M. G., Warren, J. D. (2009).

“It’s not what you play, it’s how you play it: Timbre affects perception of emotion in

music. ​Sage Journals​. Retrieved from

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1080/17470210902765957

Hussein, R. (2019). Functions of dopamine and memory. Retrieved from

https://blog.cognifit.com/functions-of-dopamine-serve-you/

Juslin, P. N., & Sloboda, J. A. (2001). ​Series in affective science. Music and emotion: Theory

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https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2001-05534-001

Karageorghis, C. I., Terry, P. C. (1997). “The psychological effects of music in sport and

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“Music Therapy.” (2018). ​Inclusion Hampshire. ​Retrieved from

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How Music Affects the Emotion and Behavior of People Zavala 15

Ruani, A. (2014). “4 Remarkable Ways Music Can Enhance Athletic Performance.” ​The Health

Sciences Academy. ​Retrieved from

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Weber, M. (2017). “What is the link between love and oxytocin?” ​Medical News Today.

Retrieved from ​https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/275795.php

“Workout Music for Elite Athletes.” (2018). ​Sony. ​ Retrieved from

https://www.sony.com/electronics/athletes-workout-music