Whether it's rock or rap, country or classical, college students usually find themselves in a better mood after listening to music, according to a Penn State Altoona study.
"We were interested in how people used music on a daily basis," said Valerie Stratton, associate professor of psychology. "Music is a really important thing in daily life."
Stratton and Annette Zalanowski, associate professor of music, used two samples of college students in their study.
Of the 46 participants, 25 were music majors. The researchers authored the paper "Daily Music Listening Habits in College Students: Related Moods and Activities," published recently in the journal Psychology and Education-An Interdisciplinary Journal.
Positive mood choices in the study, such as "optimistic," "calm" and "friendly," showed an increase after participants listened to music. The study showed that negative mood choices, such as "pessimistic" and "sad," decreased with music, with the exception of "fearful," which remained the same.
Stratton said one reason people play music in the background while studying is because it can mask interrupting noises.
"Some people can't have it, some people get used to it," she said.
Doug Yocum (senior-mechanical and nuclear engineering) said he finds that listening to classical music helps him study.
"It's a lot easier to study with music than absolute silence," he said.
Yocum said classical music is more beneficial to listen to while studying than rock.
"It's softer and easier to have [in the background]," he said. "It's not disruptive or intrusive. Plus, I enjoy classical more."
Brandon Raffensperger (junior-telecommunications) said he cannot watch television or listen to the radio while studying.
"It drags my attention away," he said. "If a song is on, I'll listen to the lyrics or sing along. If a TV show is on, I'll be paying attention to the plot."
The participants in the study kept a personal journal for two weeks, in which they recorded the amount of time they spent listening to music, the type of music they listened to, and most importantly, their moods before and after each listening session, Stratton said.
"Music definitely changes moods," Shannon Aucutt (graduate-music theory and history) said.
Participants were also required to record their activities while listening to music.
Zalanowski said most students listened to music while doing something else, like studying, driving, dressing or socializing.
"It's integrated with all activities," Stratton said. "It's very rare for people to sit down and just listen to music. For some activities, like cleaning and exercising, it sets the tempo. Upbeat music gives motivation.
Rock was the predominate music selection for both student groups in the study.
Music majors listened to a wider range of styles than non-music majors, according to the study.
"Music is, in fact, a powerful manipulator of mood," said Stephanie Shields, professor of psychology and women's studies at University Park. "It can make us happy, brighten our mood, or make us calm. It's hard for music to make us angry."
Retired music teacher David Knauss (graduate-music education) said while he agrees that music can enhance mood, it does not extend to all types of music.
"I don't know if I agree with 'music of any kind,' " Knauss said. "If you're in a depressing mood, depressing music can depress you more. If you're angry and listen to angry music, it can intensify that."
Knauss said that a reason for music affecting a person's mood is because everyone is musically inclined to a certain extent.
"Every person is musical," he said. "Music is in every culture across the world, in every age there ever was."
Kosha Sabin (graduate-psychology) said she has heard of other studies that have found different results on music and mood.
She said the genre of the music doesn't affect mood as much as the specific song.
"Some classical music is upbeat, some isn't," she said. "Some rock music is happy, some rock music is sad. If it's a positive song, it has a positive effect. If it's a negative song, it has a negative effect."
