When you’re having a bad day, and all you want to do is plug in your headphones, most of us would play our favorite sad songs to match the mood and find some form of comfort after a long day. Or have you been in a really happy mood, where all you want to do is listen to your favorite upbeat songs and dance? Well, if you weren’t already aware, music can alter and affect your mood depending on what type of music you are listening to. 

 According to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, music can be a way to cope with your emotions. Music can be a form of therapy and help regulate your emotions. There is good in listening to music so you feel better, but over time, it can also cause harm.  Listening to sad music repeatedly can change your mood and worsen how you feel, since the neurotransmitters, Dopamine and Serotonin, are not releasing anything positive, leaving you feeling worse. This is the cause for every emotion you feel, meaning that music can exaggerate the emotion that you are feeling. Knowing this information, when you’re having a hard day and need some feeling of comfort, it could be more beneficial for your mind to listen to happier music instead of clicking in your sad playlist. This doesn’t mean that listening to sad music is bad or that you should never listen to sad music again, but maybe don’t  just listen to sad music, or listen to it on rotation. 

At the University of Missouri and Knox College, there was a study that they did with a group of students, where they only listened to positive music. They ultimately found that the students felt more positive, and their moods were boosted, compared to people who did not have the assignment to listen to only positive content. This study further proves the idea that music can impact and regulate your mental health, emotions, and feelings. So the next time you think of listening to sad music after a hard day, try to lighten up the mood with something more upbeat.