Music psychology

Music psychology is a field of study that examines how music affects the human mind and how the mind works in creating and interpreting music. Its aim is to understand how people experience music and how that experience affects behavior, including the behavior involved in creating new music. The study of music psychology also helps researchers understand the differences and effects of music in different cultures.

Although people have analyzed music-making behavior and techniques for centuries, interest in the mental processes behind the creation of and reaction to music is generally considered to have begun in the sixteenth century. The rise of empirical psychology in the nineteenth century led to major advancements. Modern music psychology emerged in the mid-twentieth century and has continued to evolve in various direction in the twenty-first.

Background

Researchers believe that music in the form of rhythmic patterns may have been among the first ways people interacted. The ancient Greeks were among the first to address philosophical issues related to music, although most of their efforts to understand music were of a more technical nature, such as why strings of a certain length created a specific sound. This was the focus of music study for centuries, until sixteenth-century English philosopher Sir Francis Bacon began writing about the effects musical sounds had on emotions. Another English philosopher, John Locke, addressed issues such as the memories associated with music and the way music can create mental images.

However, it would take until the nineteenth century and the work of a growing number of people interested in the way the mind functions before serious study of the interaction between music and psychology began. German philosopher and psychologist Carl Stumpf was among the earliest and most influential of these early music psychologists. Stumpf, the child of physicians, was able to play six musical instruments and had a good understanding of both the technical aspects of music and how the mind worked. He wrote a two-volume book, Tonpsychologie (1883–90) that explored how the sounds of music affected the human mind. A number of psychologists trained by Stumpf also studied the interactions between the brain and music.

Carl Seashore was a Swedish-born American who earned the first doctorate degree in psychology awarded by Yale University. He created the largest music psychology program known at that time in Iowa City. The program's initial focus was on studying the psychology behind musical performances. In 1919, Seashore wrote a monograph titled Psychology of Musical Talent, which emphasized the importance of identifying and encouraging musical talent. Among his writings was The Psychology of Music (1938), in which he proposed that applying science to the study of music would reveal ways to evaluate and promote musical talent, understand the relationship between music and speech, and generally help to define and explain the importance of music in everyday life.

Other researchers followed in the footsteps of these music psychology pioneers. They would examine such varied questions as why music is more appealing in one key over another, the different effects of music in private and social settings, and how music could be used to affect behavior and emotion. Contemporary researchers have expanded the study even further to examine such topics as gender differences in reaction to music and how musical interactions with parents affect the language and social development of infants.

Overview

Music psychologists use the methods and tools of science to study and understand the way the human mind processes and interacts with music. This includes studying how music is created—both in composing and playing—and how music affects emotions and behavior. It is a multidisciplinary study that involves individuals with expertise in music, psychology, computers, neurology, and analytics.

One of the best-known uses of music psychology is music therapy. Researchers have determined that music can soothe people who are upset, motivate those who need encouragement, and affect emotions in many other ways. Music therapists can use this knowledge to "prescribe" certain music to help those with various mental and cognitive health issues. For example, a music therapist working with a patient with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) might recommend the use of specific music that can help the patient remain calm. Music therapy can also be used to help proactively direct behavior. For instance, therapists might choose the background music that plays in shopping areas or that can help educators enhance learning.

To develop an understanding of how various types of music affect emotions, music psychologists—sometimes called musicologists—study the ways people use music. They look for patterns in the ways people derive pleasure or satisfaction from listening to or playing music and the types of music that result in negative emotions such as sorrow or aggression. This can help in understanding why people react to music in the ways they do as well as how to create and use music to accomplish a specific purpose. For instance, researchers have determined that some types of music can alter heart rates, reduce pain, and lessen anxiety and depression. Music psychologists also study how music affects language and speech. Since music can be a solo or group experience, musicologists also look at the social and interactive components of music.

In addition to applying this knowledge for current and future purposes, musicologists also look back in time to see how music has affected human interaction and situations throughout history. For example, examining when music progressed from being part of rituals and communication for a specific purpose and became something that people do simply for entertainment can help in the understanding of how a culture developed.

Music psychology also crosses into a number of other fields of study. It is part of performance psychology, which studies how music helps professional athletes train or how it affects the concentration of surgeons. Researchers also study such diverse fields as how music affects the development of language, how music differs between cultures, and how children develop musical abilities and preferences.

Bibliography

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Novotney, Amy. "Music as Medicine." American Psychological Association, Nov. 2013, www.apa.org/monitor/2013/11/music.aspx. Accessed 23 Aug. 2024.

Ryback, Ralph. "Music's Power Explained." Psychology Today, 19 Jan. 2016, www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-truisms-wellness/201601/music-s-power-explained. Accessed 23 Aug. 2024.

Schäfer, Thomas, et al. "The Psychological Functions of Music Listening." Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 4, 2013, p. 511.

"Speaking of Psychology: Music and Your Health." American Psychological Association, www.apa.org/research/action/speaking-of-psychology/music-health.aspx. Accessed 6 Nov. 2017.

Woody, Robert H. Psychology for Musicians: Understanding and Acquiring the Skills. 2nd ed., Oxford UP, 2021.