The recent Grammy Awards brought in 28.5 million viewers, serving to highlight just how big a part of popular culture the 21st century music scene is. Whether viewers were tuning in to see Eminem receiving his latest award or Kanye West making his latest stage bomb, there is more than one reason why we’re so obsessed with music today.
According to a study by A.C. Lines Principal Jill Schweiger, music plays a huge role in our cognitive development, as proven by her results with music students. She claimed that music was a “vehicle for relaxation and reducing stress, which keeps the mind open for learning.”
Certainly this has been seen in the Mozart Effect, which claims that children who listen to the composer’s music develop better. Numerous studies have been carried out to test this, many of which showed that participants who listened to the composer prior to mental tasks performed better.
The Imperial March
But it’s not just the learning environment which is seriously affected by music – our favourite art form has an overwhelming effect on other art forms as well. There is certainly a reason why there is a Best Soundtrack category in the Academy Awards. Music can add suspense, romance or pure chaos to any scene of a film.
Just take, for example, this final scene from Star Wars, which has been edited without the music score. It’s simply painful to watch – not only can we hear extraneous sound such as cast members coughing, but it’s hard to feel any emotion in the scene and just comes across as awkward. Imagine a world without the James Bond or the Jaws theme tune – it’s just not quite the same, is it?
Music for the mind
What is perhaps more impressive, however, is the psychological effect that music can have on our minds. Marketers have been using music for years to influence the way we make our decisions, from shopping centres to casinos.
For example, have you ever been into a casino and noticed the music playing? It’s not your run of the mill top 40, but instead a long and continuous monotonous track which subconsciously encourages players to ‘play on’ as it effectively does not finish.
This could be one of the reasons that online alternatives are now becoming more popular. With web browsers open, a player visiting Mr Smith Casino can choose his or her own music – so at least we’re taking the reins with one aspect of our lives.
Shopping centres are a different kettle of fish however – for example, studies have shown that shops play more ‘chart’ music during sale season to discourage people from leaving their shops, while fast food outlets play louder music to encourage people to eat quickly and leave.
It can be exciting, and it can be worrying, but ultimately, it is impressive to see just how influential music can be in 2015.
