Music to my ears!

In my elementary school, I had a cliched image of teenagers with headphones on and lost in their own world. Fast forward to the present time, I am living up to that image myself. What is it with teenagers and music? Can't explain..... but listening to music makes me happy.

Can you believe that it is a well-studied fact so much so that the American Academy of Pediatrics has a policy statement about this?

Music plays an important role in the socialization of adolescents (duh, I knew that!). Teens spend almost 2 and a half hours every day listening to music. ( I would say that's a 'start')

The top 3 reasons that teenagers listen to music based on a survey were "self-actualization", "fulfill emotional needs", and "fulfill social needs"( That sounds more sophisticated than to say to fit in!).

But interestingly there is a difference in the choice of music and reactions to the music by age, culture, gender, and ethnicity. Female adolescents are more likely to use music to reflect their emotional state, in particular when feeling lonely or “down.” while male adolescents are more likely to use music as a stimulant, to “boost” their energy level or create a more positive self-image. Whatever the reason, music works!

I often find myself exploring different genres of music from pop, hip-hop, and classical to international. Does the type of music you listen to describe you? Studies have found a relationship between various genres of music and antisocial behaviors, vulnerability to suicide, and drug use. Interstingly, most studies reject that music is a causal factor and suggest that music preference is more indicative of emotional vulnerability. So how you feel makes you pick up the music you want to listen to ( I know you are thinking, no kidding!)

In a very small study, the authors found that background music can actually enhance the performance of young people on a color blindness test. There are tons of studies on how background music increases exercise performance, helps medical students during anatomic dissection or surgeons during surgery, reduces anxiety during dental procedures, etc. Simply put, it helps you chill and motivates you!

So whatever the reason you choose to listen to music, remember to be happy!

References:

1. Council on Communications and Media. From the American Academy of Pediatrics: Policy statement--Impact of music, music lyrics, and music videos on children and youth. Pediatrics. 2009 Nov;124(5):1488-94. doi: 10.1542/peds.2009-2145. Epub 2009 Oct 19. PMID: 19841124.

2. North AC, Hargreaves DJ, O'Neill SA. The importance of music to adolescents.

Br J Educ Psychol. 2000;70 (pt 2): 255–272

3. Wells A, Hakanen EA. The emotional use of popular music by adolescents.

Journal Q. 1991;68 (3): 445–454

4. Tarrant, M., North, A. C., & Hargreaves, D. J. (2000). English and American Adolescents’ Reasons for Listening to Music. Psychology of Music, 28(2), 166–173. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735600282005

5. Kumaradevan KS, Balan A, Khan K, Alji RM, Narayanan SN. Modulatory role of background music on cognitive interference task in young people. Ir J Med Sci. 2021 May;190(2):779-786. doi: 10.1007/s11845-020-02365-6. Epub 2020 Sep 18. PMID: 32946030.