Of course, each of the factors that determine a particular musical composition may be reflected in the actions of the person listening to it. Surely many of you have noticed how playing a fast rhythmic song makes your breathing faster, your heart rate quicken, and it is as if there is even an increase in the level of vitality inside. This observation of one’s own body is confirmed by frequent observations of other drivers who drive in a car with loud and fast music, whereby they can make more movements on the road per unit of time than others in the traffic. So today in this article you will learn why music is an advantage on the road.
The Effect of Different Music on The Driver
- Electronic dance music and various aggressive-sounding techno styles cause the listener’s brain to tense up and make movements to the beat on a strong beat. The bitrate of music can be in dissonance with the situation on the road, and the driver with such music inside risks exceeding the speed and making too fast and completely unnecessary maneuvers while driving. In this case, the listener’s attention will be concentrated on his own overloaded emotional background, and the control over the road and the actions of other drivers will be in second place.
- Rap and hip-hop are designed to create a certain emotional mood in the listener through the perception of the protest text. The more aggressive is the motive and the dirtier are the words of the rap artist, the more furious the listener becomes and associates himself with the voice coming out of the speakers. The slow rhythm in this case will create a hypnotic effect, which is akin to shamanic ecstasy. And it is known that in a trance state shamans in various cultures are able to get rid of depression and stress.
- Drivers in trance-like states induced by listening to music with a medium speed but strongly accented rhythm can do daring things on the road and not think about other road users and the possible consequences of breaking traffic rules: overtaking, speeding, dangerous driving, and abrupt lane changes.
- Classical music and opera have a property known to many music lovers to have a relaxing effect on the listener, not just in the theater. If yawning and falling into a drowsy state in a soft chair at the conservatory will not lead to serious consequences for you and those around you, on the road may well be just that: falling asleep at the wheel and losing control of the vehicle. Only when listened at maximum volume, which borders on a fighting threshold of hearing, classical music can be a strong irritant, which is able to return the driver from a half-dream state and make him wake up.
- Rock music, heavy metal, and punk rock can be depressing for the driver, especially if you are familiar with the lyrics and know exactly what kind of images they are supposed to evoke. The associative sequence that occurs when playing heavy minor guitar riffs and songs sung in a hoarse dramatic tenor, even in a foreign language, in the car, will still subconsciously evoke in the driver a feeling of hopelessness and irresponsible apathy, which may be superimposed on the previously fixed similar emotions that arose when listening to this track earlier.
- Pop music is safest for the listener, both when played in the car and outside. The fact is that it is the absence of bright contrasting musical accents and accompanying simple music, as a rule, non-aggressive and even moderate lyrics, which do not have a deep semantic load, a priori cannot lead the human psyche to any polar state – bright anger or desperate joy, enjoyment of depression or a sudden desire to experience any acute feeling as a result of an inadequate act. This is why such music is called popular because it can fill the airwaves of radio stations without causing most listeners to become particularly attracted to it or to reject it sharply.
- Like pop music, jazz, funk, soul, and blues can be perfectly safe for the driver. Such music is a little brighter colored with complex melodic patterns that in connoisseurs of these styles evoke a stable emotional state and enduring mental equilibrium. Unfortunately, it is because of these complex musical colors that most ordinary listeners are not able to “digest” these styles and listen to this kind of music for a long time.
The Positive Effects of Music
Pleasant music can relax the driver and help him concentrate on the road. Moreover, on a long and tiring trip, you can’t do without rhythmic music. And if the driver is forced to drive at night and feels sleepy, the music is able to cheer him up and not let him fall asleep at the wheel. Of course, the music should not be relaxing, but dynamic.
The Effect of Music on Mood
To cheer up in the morning and set a good mood for the whole day, it is desirable to include energetic and cheerful music. Rhythmic melodies are the most effective for morning jogging, exercising, or stretching. Cheerful music programs our body to optimism. After a busy day at work, you’d better turn on calm and smooth melodies to get your mind off the daily worries. The measured tempo of such music has a positive effect on your sleep and contributes to concentration at the same time. To increase the productivity of an intense workout at the gym, add a couple of motivational songs to your playlist. The lyrics in such songs will stimulate you to work more efficiently.
Bottom Line
The way music helps a person to cope with difficult difficult situations in life is hardly
comparable to any other external influences. Music can create and maintain the right mood. It helps you to relax (no wonder some people are so relaxed after work). It’s not surprising that after work, some people, after work, the first thing they do when they
of their own home the first thing they do after work is turned on their favorite songs), or maybe on the contrary – energize.
