Time and time again people have used music to express their emotions and thoughts through a different format other than speaking. Music can alter the way in which people perceive situations and how they handle them as well whether it being an outlet for some people or a simple pleasure for others. Depending on which music a person chooses to listen to, it can say quite a bit about their personality and their outlooks on life. Artists use this to their advantages by taking certain demographics and implementing certain “relatable” songs into their work. By doing so, many artists have been labeled as pandering to their audience, yet many times these artists are taking their true feelings and adding them into their songs.

Many people see music as a way to decrease the stress in their lives when they can not find any other way to sooth it. Studies have been shown and proven that when someone has anxiety, the right song can not only help distract them from their worries but also lead them to be truly happy as well. Songs in such genres like RnB and more soulful, calming music can have that very affect on a student who is studying before a test.

Music can also be used to release mass amounts of emotion when needed. If a person is in a situation in which they feel they must let go of all their feelings for even a slight moment, then music is the perfect way to do so. Listening to music releases a chemical called dopamine in your brain and sends it throughout the entire human body, and this chemical is also known as the “feel-good” chemical. This means that every time this hormone is released into the body, the person tends to become happier instantly. Music will take this hormone and release it within the first few verses of music, leaving the person happier than before. Katie Tough (10) believes, “…music like [that] makes me feel emotions that can alter my feelings in an instant”.   

Aggression and more physical emotions can also be relieved through songs, with or without words. Dancing is an amazing way to release dopamine as well, but also it is a way to channel the negative or aggravating energy into a movement till one is tired out. Simply bopping a head or tapping a foot to a beat when in a stressed, angry, or tired mood can lift the spirit and release some energy that would have caused even more strain in the long run.

Music can greatly influence its audience in ways that alter people’s chemical balance. It is a much deeper relationship than most people realize since music is not a person or object that can be touched per say. Still, when it is listened to and heard for more than just what is on its surface, music has the power to change the ways we see the world even if it is just for a short three minutes.