Kill the blues with what you choose : an exploration into which elements in music affect mood and emotions

Abstract

The original aim of this study was to explore in a qualitative way, which musical elements people think affect their moods and emotions through the research question 'Which perceived elements in music affect mood and emotions?'. However, it has been found that other non-musical aspects also affect the listener while engaging with music, and thus these were also explored. This research is important since new insights into which factors affect moods and emotions, could help researchers and practitioners use music to influence affect in desirable ways. The data was collected through the use of 4 semi-structured in-depth interviews with musical people, and analysed using thematic analysis. The variety and inconsistency of the results reflected the literature and some new factors which might influence moods and emotions were identified. It seems that producing guidelines that help listeners select what music to listen to, from their own selection of musical pieces, would be more effective at helping people manage their affect, than suggesting or creating specific musical tracks. More research in this area would produce more knowledge which might help researchers and therapists make better use of music's effects in educational, health, therapeutic and research settings.