Music can significantly boost your mental health – delivering benefits similar to those provided by exercise or weight loss. It can also reduce feelings of anxiety and physiological measures of stress and, as neuropsychologist Daniel Levitin argues, even create the same “neurochemical cocktail” as other pleasurable activities, like orgasms or eating chocolate.
So what type of music should you turn to in order to boost your mood? Researchers have found that music with a fast tempo, written in the major mode (such as Led Zeppelin’s Rock and Roll) evokes a sense of happiness, whereas music with a slow tempo in the minor mode (like Johnny Cash’s sombre cover of Hurt) evokes a sense of sadness. But, as illogical as it may seem, that sensation of sadness may actually help lead to positive emotions.
