Sound Off: Shake, Rattle, and Soul
November 3, 2009
Written by Michelle Brockman
Have you ever listened to your favorite song, or favorite artist and all of the sudden felt on top of the world? Or maybe you heard a song on the radio, in a commercial, in a movie or maybe even off in the distance somewhere and been taken back into a different place in time…maybe into a memory of days since passed or perhaps a moment that holds a special place in your mind? I happen to believe that music makes our souls dance and can even take us back into a deep dark place we have forgotten about. There is something to be said about a force that can whip and manipulate the human spirit, almost in a magical way. To make us feel things that five minutes ago we may never have dreamed of.
Music is way underrated if you ask me. The world should be harnessing the power of music to make the positive changes that we so desperately need. Think about it, if we gather five hundred people from all different backgrounds and belief systems in Times Square and play ‘We are family’ by Sister Sledge you’d better believe there will be a feeling of connection, of love between strangers that have never met each other before but feel pulled together by some strange, inexplicable force. After all, our government uses the power of music for torture, they’ve obviously figured out its power so…..why don’t we use music for good?
The subliminal messages in music that one is subjected to are also astonishing. There have only been a few studies on this topic but the results are definitely in. Studies have revealed that musical tempo and customers’ music preferences are the best predictors for strength of influence. Slow music and appreciation for the respective musical style can affect the length of stay of supermarket shoppers or restaurant patrons. You’d better believe advertisers are using this data to their advantage! The subject of subliminal messages is a very serious one, however. We have many people in our prison system that have claimed that they heard the devil speaking to them through their music and told them to commit murder. On the flip side, there are people that have been inspired to great creativity because of music. There is even a website dedicated to ‘Saving the World with Music’, which aims to do just that.
So, if you’re listening to the radio in your car tomorrow or your favorite playlist on your iPod and you hear a song that makes you want to burst into tears, or reminds you of a loved one, or of the crazy things you have done in your past, take a moment to reflect. To think about the gift music has just given you. It has just moved your soul…and affected your brain chemistry.
It has just changed that moment of your life.
Photo by: daidix (Via Flickr)
References:
Journal of Articles in Support of the Null Hypothesis. Vol. 4, No. 2
Leave a Reply