The International Journal of Indian Psychology

ISSN 2348-5396 (Online) | ISSN: 2349-3429 (Print)

Volume 12, Issue 2, April- June, 2024
DIP: 18.01.390.20241202, DOI: 10.25215/1202.390
https://www.ijip.in
Research Paper

The Impact of Music on Mood Regulation

Dr. Atika Tewari1*

ABSTRACT
Our society, way of life, and behaviour are all influenced by music, and its significance
appears to be closely related to its emotional impact. The researcher was curious to study how
music's impact on mood regulation influences college students' lives. Objective This study
aims to examine the influence of how music affects students’ capacity to regulate their moods
among college students. Hypothesis Data were collected on a total sample of 50 students. It
was collected from Dehradun. The age range of students was 18 to 23 years. Out of 50, 19
Males and 19 females were selected in the final sample that fell within the criteria, according
to the B-MMR manual guidelines. Tool Used the Music in Mood Regulation (B-MMR)
scale, created by Saarikallio (2008) Method This study used a quantitative methodology to
examine the usage of music for regulating one's mood. In order to develop a theoretical
framework, an analysis assessment of the literature is initially carried out, highlighting the
importance of mood-related meanings in students' interactions with music. Following this, 50
university students were given access to a Google Form survey. A total of 38 replies were
gathered, with 50% of the participants being female and 50% being male. Result showed that
both male and female use music for mood regulation. The use of music for mood regulation
was also related to musical background, musical preferences, and general mood regulation
abilities.

Keywords: Music, Mood Regulation, Emotions

O
ur society, way of life, and behaviour are all influenced by music, and its
significance appears to be closely related to its emotional impact. The majority of
people have different subjective opinions about how music may uplift, calm, and
even heal them. The current study was inspired by age-old queries such as "Why is music
important to humans?" and "Why does music touch us emotionally?" Its fundamental goal
was to deepen our understanding of the emotional significance of music. A unique and
profound position for music in the human experience, it is a powerful instrument for
communication, emotional expression, and emotional control. Music is a tool that can
influence the emotion; it can change the mood and also leaves it effects on human emotions.
And this effect can be shown in some ways. Like it can be shown visually, through facial
expressions and also audibly through vocal expressions. It has been proved by many
research too. As emotions are influenced by music in the same way activities are also
influenced by music. A huge difference in one performance and task can be seen after and

1
Assistant Professor Uttaranchal University, Dehradun
*Corresponding Author
Received: June 23, 2024; Revision Received: June 27, 2024; Accepted: June 30, 2024
© 2024, Tewari, A.; licensee IJIP. This is an Open Access Research distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution License (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any Medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
 The Impact of Music on Mood Regulation

before listening to music. It is said that people work much better after listening to music than
those who sit in silence or with no music.

LITERATURE REVIEW
Zentner, Grandjean, and Scherer (2008) explored various theoretical models have been
proposed to elucidate how music influences mood regulation. The Mood Regulation Theory
(MRT) is among these models, proposing that individuals use music to achieve specific
mood regulatory objectives, such as mood regulation or enhancement. According to MRT,
adolescents select from a diverse range of musical genres and styles based on their perceived
ability to help them achieve desired emotional outcomes.

Van den Tol and Edwards's (2015) study discovered that students utilize music to control
their emotions by either listening to music that elevates or detracts from their unpleasant
feelings.

Thoma et al. (2012) explored that music, especially in stressful circumstances, can be a
useful tool for raising happy feelings and lowering negative ones. There was a link between
having a musical background and using music to control your mood. Results have shown
that higher daily listening, a history of playing or singing, songwriting, having music played
in the house, and the subjective assessment of music's significance in one's life were all
positively correlated with higher usage of music in mood regulation. Also, Hearing in
particular proved to be important; 62% of respondents said that "listening alone" is the most
important musical activity for mood control. For students who actively engage with music, it
seems to be a more effective mood stabilizer than for their peers. The importance of
listening, however, also suggests that children who just use music to control their mood can
benefit much from it.

Schafer et al. (2013) explored studies have consistently demonstrated that students' usage of
music to regulate their moods is significantly influenced by their gender. Compared to boys,
girls often use music more frequently and successfully for emotional expression and
management. There are several possible explanations for this gender disparity in music
consumption, including biological variations, socialization processes, and cultural standards.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Independent Variables
• Gender
• Age

Dependent Variable
• Use of Music for Mood Regulation

Hypothesis
On the basis of reviewed literature and experts’ opinions, following hypotheses were
formulated for factorial test.

• Hypothesis 1: There will be no significant relationship between gender and the use
of music for mood regulation among students.
• Hypothesis 2: There will be no relationship between age and the use of music for
mood regulation among students.

© The International Journal of Indian Psychology, ISSN 2348-5396 (e)| ISSN: 2349-3429 (p) | 4386
 The Impact of Music on Mood Regulation

• Hypothesis 3: There will be no relationship between musical background and the

use of music for mood regulation among students.

Sample
Data were collected on a total sample of 50 students. It was collected from Dehradun. The
age range of students was 18 to 23 years. Out of 50, 19 Males and 19 females were selected
in the final sample that fell within the criteria, according to the B-MMR manual guidelines,
the stratified random sampling techniques was used to assign male and female college
students.

Tools Used
Music in Mood Regulation scale (Brief version – B-MMR) by Saarikallio, S: The B-
MMR consists of 21 items, divided into seven three-item subscales assessing. Entertainment
(e.g., I usually put music on to make the atmosphere more pleasant), Revival (e.g., When
I'm, I listen to music to perk up), Strong sensation (e.g., I feel fantastic putting my soul fully
into the music), Diversion (e.g., For me, music is a way to forget about my worries),
Discharge (e.g. When I'm really angry, I feel like listening to some aggressive music),
Mental work (e.g., Music helps me to recognize different feelings in myself) and Solace
(e.g., When everything feels bad, music understands and comforts me). All participants rated
all items on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).

Research Design
An exploratory study was conducted to examine the impact of music on mood regulation.
Confirmatory factor analysis is used to validate the scale, and differences in how people
utilize music to control their moods. Data were analysed and interpreted with the help of
mean. Mean was also applied to meet out the objective and test the hypotheses of the study.

DISCUSSION
The results from data analysis in the present study showed that there was no significant
relationship between music and mood regulation in young adults who were enrolled in the
university. The hypothesis made earlier was not supported by the obtained result. The
findings showed that student’s attitude regarding music and its ability to regulate mood were
generally favourable. The results are in line with earlier studies that suggested music is a
useful tool for emotional self-regulation. Mood-regulatory strategies are typically divided
into behavioural and cognitive strategies, and listening to music has often been considered as
a behavioural strategy. The results of the present work, however, suggest that music-related
mood regulation has features of both behavioural and cognitive strategies. Various musical
activities are indeed behavioural actions, and mood regulation is realized through various
behaviours like listening, playing, singing or dancing. However, music may also be
considered as a framework which promotes the cognitive processing of emotional
experiences. These processes are reflected, for example, in the strategy of mental work,
which is about the use of music as a symbolic space for working through conflicting issues
and reappraising emotional experiences.

CONCLUSION
In Conclusion, this research has investigated how music affects mood regulation in college
students, with an emphasis on participant attitudes and views of music as an emotional self-
regulation tool. The study's findings provide significant insight into the role that music plays
in daily life and the significance of music for the emotional well- being of young adults. The
results show that most college students think well of music and its ability to regulate mood.
© The International Journal of Indian Psychology, ISSN 2348-5396 (e)| ISSN: 2349-3429 (p) | 4387
 The Impact of Music on Mood Regulation

According to some previous studies that suggested gender may influence music preferences
and emotional responses to music, the study showed no significant gender differences in the
use of music for mood control. This result suggests that, in this sample, there is a consistent
association between music and mood control for both genders. Emotion and music studies
are becoming more and more prominent in related professions. Gaining expertise in the
psychological processes linked to the affective application of music is crucial for any field
that explores the relationship between human needs and music. The current research
provides two theoretical frameworks and an innovative measurement tool to further the
discussion regarding the increasing need for shared theories, paradigms, and metrics that
facilitate collaboration between disciplines. The results may open new avenues for research
in the fields of music education, music sociology, music psychology, and music therapy.
They might also shed new light on how people's goal-oriented psychological functioning,
emotional experiences, coping strategies, and self-regulation are investigated in general
psychology.

Limitations of the Study

• Research suggested that students who listen to music with lyrics while completing
reading or writing tasks tend to be less efficient and come away having absorbed
information.
• Loud or agitated music can have adverse effects on reading comprehension and on
mood making focus more difficult.
• Music can also induce harmful effects, particularly when it comes to rumination.
• When a person dwells on negative thinking or feelings, it can contribute to the
development of depression and anxiety or worsen existing conditions.

Suggestions for Further Research

• Further study can also be undertaken on a large sample size.
• The study may also be conducted over a larger geographical domain as well.
• Other variables like higher age, personality, music genre may be also included.
• The study focuses on the young generations (college students) but on the adults.

REFERENCES
Saarikallio, S. (2008). Music In Mood Regulation: Initial scale development. Music
Science, 12(2), 291-309.
Schafer, T., Sedlmeier, P., Stadtler, C., & Huron, D. (2013). The Psychological Functions of
Music Listening. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 511.
Thoma, M. V., Ryf, S., Mohiyeddini, C., Ehlert, U., & Nater, U. M. (2012). Emotion
Regulation Through Listening to Music in Everyday Situations. Cognition &
emotion, 26(3), 550-560.
Van den Tol, A. J., & Edwards, J. (2015). Exploring A Rationale for Choosing to Listen
to Sad Music When Feeling Sad. Psychology of Music, 43(4), 473-496.
Zentner, M., Grandjean, D., & Scherer, K. R. (2008). Emotions Evoked by the Sound of
Music: Characterization, Classification, and Measurement. Emotion, 8(4), 494-521.

Acknowledgment
The author(s) appreciates all those who participated in the study and helped to facilitate the
research process.

© The International Journal of Indian Psychology, ISSN 2348-5396 (e)| ISSN: 2349-3429 (p) | 4388
 The Impact of Music on Mood Regulation

Conflict of Interest
The author(s) declared no conflict of interest.

How to cite this article: Tewari, A. (2024). The Impact of Music on Mood Regulation.
International Journal of Indian Psychology, 12(2), 4385-4389. DIP:18.01.390.20241202,
DOI:10.25215/1202.390

© The International Journal of Indian Psychology, ISSN 2348-5396 (e)| ISSN: 2349-3429 (p) | 4389