There have been many studies done on the affects that music can have on the listener’s mood. These studies have looked at every genre of music from Classical to Rap, looked at the effect of temp, and even the motives of the listener. From these studies two major aspects of music’s effect on mood are the tempo of the song and the goal of the person listening to the music.

In three separate studies conducted in 1998, 1999, and 2001 researchers found that the tempo of music can affect your mood. Music with a faster tempo was found to induce positive feelings, such as happiness, excitement, and delight. Conversely to this, music with slower tempos caused more negative emotions, such as sadness and depression. So next time you’re feeling down, try listening to a song with a fast tempo!

Have you ever felt sad and decided to listen to a happy song to make you feel better? And have you ever been sad, and a happy song comes on the radio? According to a study by the University of Missouri, only one of those songs would be successful in cheering you up. The effect of music on your mood is directly influenced by the reason in which you are listening to the music. If you are passively listening to the music will have little to no effect on your mood, if you are listening to music to make yourself feel better on purpose then it will work.