The holidays are in our rearview mirror, and Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching. This time of year we often reflect on family, loved ones, experiences we were grateful for in the past year, and what’s to come in the new year. Navigating relationships through the past year in a pandemic has been challenging to say the least. We took a look at a few ways music can impact our relationships, platonic and romantic, to ensure that positive energy can flourish in our connections.
It’s no surprise that music can tap into various emotional triggers. I mean “Teardrops on My Guitar” by Taylor Swift truly made me feel like I was going through a breakup at the age of 11 years old (okay, enough with my pre-teen emotional listening habits). Music can be a source of pleasure, pain, joy, relaxation, and excitement to name a few. So, why not curate playlists that can prepare you for the little moments throughout your day and set the mood for your relationships?
Movie and TV productions have utilized musical changes when a romantic scene is about to happen or there is a dramatic twist. So how true is this in real life? Can I really get the girl by switching my Spotify playlist? Well, in 2014 the journal, Psychology of Music, published an article titled, “Effects of background music on young Japanese adults’ impressions of opposite-sex conversation partners”, which discovered that there is an impact on playing music while having conversations with someone you are interested in. The study found that 20-minute conversations that included music changed the impression made between the two people and led to more intimate conversations versus those who spoke in a room without music. This is because music taps into many different physical responses in our bodies even when we don’t know it’s happening.
So whether you want a fiery dopamine rush, fluttery butterfly feeling when your blood pressure increases, or the smooth rhythm of a relaxed heartbeat, music can do it all.
For this Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day, or whatever you may be celebrating with someone you love… play some music.
Here is a playlist we have been working on that can inspire your next gathering soundtrack: Click here
