Spotify is a music streaming service (much like Pandora) that provides digital rights management-restricted content from record labels to the greater public.
With the inception of the mobile phone, specifically the iPhone (and iPods), music had become a more intrinsic part of our lives. Music can have powerful effects on our emotions and with today’s technology we can listen to tunes in almost any part of the world.
Spotify worked with Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience Professor at the University of Groningen, Jacob Jolij, to reveal some of the songs that trigger the clearest emotional responses from their listeners.
Below is a listing of popular songs and the emotions they elicit:
1. Happiness – Mostly uptempo, major key note songs such as Katy Perry’s Birthday.
2. Sadness – I Need from One Republic. Sad songs tend to be in a minor key and have a slow tempo – exactly what one would expect the opposite of songs that evoke happiness. In a previous blog post we explored research that looked into why people enjoy listening to “sad” music.
3. Anger – Songs with negative lyrics and in a minor key David Guetta – Bad
Anger, opposed to sadness, is what we call an approach-emotion: it involves movement, a dimension anger shares with happiness.
4. Overcoming Fear – Coldplay’s, Magic has a slower beat and has major cords
Fear is a negative emotion, characterized by a stress response that prepares you for a ‘fight-or-flight’ reaction. In order to overcome fear, the very first thing you need to do is to minimize your stress response, followed by managing your internal thoughts.
If you want to preview the songs listed above check out the links below provided by Spotify.