The Impact of Music on Energy and Mood

Music is far older than written history. Humans have been making musical instruments for at least 40,000 years, and since the beginning, music has soothed and energized us.

Yet, on a deeper level, music can directly influence the brain, setting off neurotransmitters and hormones that lessen pain and influence attention. 

The Biochemistry of Music

There are three pathways associated with music that affect your energy level and mood: dopamine, cortisol, and oxytocin. Let’s explore each of these in more depth.

Dopamine: The Reward Neurotransmitter

Music rewards the body with dopamine. It can keep us motivated and energized while we study, work, or workout. 

Moreover, since music biochemically impacts the brain, it has also been used for therapy. For instance, music affects our dopamine levels—the hormone that makes us feel good—and when our levels are low, we can experience major depression. Jazz and classical music combined with therapy have been found to help reduce depression symptoms. Keep in mind that using music to treat depression should be accompanied by support from a therapist.

Being that listening to enjoyable music releases dopamine, it may also play a role in alleviating other dopamine-deficient disorders, like Parkinson’s Disease.

Music can also have therapeutic effects on mood disorders associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s because it activates the areas of the brain in the amygdala that stimulate memories and regulate mood.

Cortisol: Hormone of Stress, Stimulation, and Energy

Listening to music can increase cortisol, corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which regulate stress and arousal levels. 

Stress feels overwhelming. However, mild stress produces a cortisol spike that gives us a burst of energy and focus similar to how caffeine increases cortisol and stimulates our system.

Oxytocin: Hormone of Love

Music is linked to the release of oxytocin—a social connectedness hormone. It is the hormone that’s released when you experience a hug. Both listening to music and playing music can lead to the release of oxytocin, boosting your mood.

Beats and Brain Waves

Some music therapy advocates claim that listening to certain frequencies or combinations of frequencies can make your brain synchronize energy levels. Ranging from delta levels at under 4hz as the lowest energy level up through theta, beta, alpha, and gamma at 30hz at the highest level. The potential benefits of binaural beats include promoting better sleep, reducing anxiety, and alleviating chronic pain.

There is evidence that binaural beats affect brainwaves but in what specific ways is still debatable. It is possible binaural beats or music frequencies have an indirect effect on your energy levels and performance through chemical pathways.

Effects of Music on Academic and Athletic Performance

Since music possesses energizing and calming effects, it works well for those exercising or studying.

Music can distract from the strain of intense exercise, enabling people to train harder and longer. It can even increase energy and enhance athletic performance. However, there are limits to music’s effects. If you exceed 75% of your exertion level, music may no longer distract you. At this point, you can’t simply crank up the tempo and expect it to help you perform better.  

If you’re looking for good pacesetting tempos, pick songs around 120 bpm for jogging and 145 bpm for fast runs.

In memory tasks, classical music has been shown to improve studying. The prevailing theory is that music activates the limbic system, involved in processing emotions and memories. Uptempo music stimulates the brain, assisting mental processing tasks, while expressive music that is perceived as happy or sad improves general recall.

Mozart Effect vs. Background Music Effect

Music can be used to improve performance in two ways. 

First, it can be listened to before a task to improve your performance, known as the Mozart effect. For a practical example, consider warm-ups before a basketball game when the team plays loud music to energize the players.

The second way is to play background music while performing tasks to improve concentration and execution. An example is a surgeon who listens to music that relaxes them as they work. 

How to Choose Music

When it comes to picking specific songs to lift your mood and energy, there are several factors to consider:

1. Familiarity with the Music: You may have a history or an association with songs that color your experience. Emotional resonance makes music effective at lifting your mood and affecting your memory. Happy songs can make you sad and sad songs can make you happy and vice versa. If you are unfamiliar with a song, it can make you feel out of your element and therefore not as positive.
2. The Presence of Lyrics: Lyrics can either help or hinder the power of music. If you want to relax, lyrics can be a distraction, whereas if you want energy, lyrics may have you singing along. If you’re looking for music with lyrics that aren’t distracting, try playing songs in languages you’re not familiar with.
3. Beats per Minute (BPM) / Speed: Songs with a higher bpm and designed to be played loudly are generally more stimulating.
4. Key: Songs that are set in major keys are associated with happiness, while minor keys are associated with negative emotions.

Finding Relaxing and High Energy Playlists

Typically soothing music can be found in folk and traditional music genres. Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven are popular and not overly engaging music, but just because many people select classical music for its therapeutic effects doesn’t mean you must.

There are plenty of contemporary genres and styles of music that can amp you up or bliss you out. If you’re looking for songs commonly used in music therapy, check out JB Music Therapy or the University of Kansas playlists.

To find a playlist for energy, relaxation, or intense workouts, look for playlists on Spotify or YouTube Music. On Spotify, explore Gym Beats or Beast Mode for high-energy workouts. For something calming, try the Chillout Lounge playlist and Relaxing Yoga at bedtime or while meditating. Happy listening!