Can music have negative effects?
In many of our previous blogs, we talked about the many positive effects of music. How it can be used as a way to increase mental wellness and physical health. However, one thing we haven’t talked about in great detail is the negative effects of music.
Firstly, there is solace, this is finding comfort during difficult times. As it relates to music, a person may listen to a sad song when they themselves are feeling sad. Usually, in cases off solace, the song matches the person’s emotional state. This is often done to feel relatable and less alone. In and of itself this is not bad; however, it can lead to some adverse consequences. If someone is suffering from depression they may find comfort in sad songs which can lead to a vicious cycle that does not promote healing or health and only makes the person feel better for a short period of time.
Diversion is when a person listens to music as a way to distract themselves. Typically, the song is a mismatch from the person’s emotional state. There are plenty o times where this is a good thing. For example, a person who is sad may listen to a happy song to distract themselves until the sad feelings have passed, however, there is a flip side to this as well. Too much diversion may lead the person to not deal with the issue at hand.
The last one we are going to talk about is discharge. Like the first one, the song matches the emotional state of the person. Discharge is when a person uses music to express their emotional state. When it is a positive emotion this is good, however, it can become dangerous if the emotion is negative. Contrary to popular beliefs Acts of aggression seldom alleviate aggressive feelings; in fact, the feelings are heightened. So, if someone is angry and they listen to angry music, chances are if they are experiencing discharge, then that person will even more angry than before they listened to the music.