The language of music is capable of transmitting three basic emotions that can be identified by anyone despite not sharing a language or culture: happiness, sadness and fear. They are not the only shocks that the simple hearing of sequences of ordered sounds awakens in us; songs can also generate anger, nostalgia, optimism, excitement … These emotional responses not only alter our mood, but even have a positive impact on our cognitive development, on the stimulation of our intelligence and even on our health in general terms. A study published by the Spotify platform in collaboration with Jacob Jolij, professor of cognitive psychology and neuroscience at the University of Groningen, has compiled a list of the most effective songs to trigger these purely corporeal reactions.
Kate Perry’s “Birthday” would be the track that most stimulates active movement and dopamine secretion leading to the feeling of happiness due to its fast and punctual rhythm. Sad songs, such as “Something I need” by OneRepublic, would have opposite characteristics: their rhythms are slower and have a minor key, unconsciously recalling an ascending tone associated with defeat and uncertainty, which does not mean that they are pleasant for some individuals.
“Best day of my life”, by American Authors, is the most optimistic song for the authors of the work, a category in which the positivity of the lyrics has a greater weight than the rhythm itself, although this is linked to that of the happy songs. David Guetta’s “Bad” is the track linked to anger , since this is a negative emotion that involves movement, and its frenetic pace on a smaller scale helps to channel the feeling of anger.
Songs like “Magic” by Coldplay would evoke positive feelings that would help to overcome fear , since its slow rhythm combined with major chords minimizes the stress response characteristic of this emotion. The excitement would come from the hand of “Wake me up”, by Avicii, since its rhythm even faster, stronger and in a higher tone generates a cascade of adrenaline and endorphins, not so much its lyrics, which in this case is less relevant than in anger or nostalgia.
Finally, “All of me”, by John Legend, would be the perfect example of a song destined to awaken nostalgia due to the sentimentality impregnated in its lyrics, which favors the evocation of memories through other senses.
Otras canciones que nos emocionan
“Someone Like You,” de Adele
“Stay With Me,” de Sam Smith
“The Heart Wants What It Wants,” de Selena Gomez
“Skinny Love,” de Bon Iver
“Hallelujah,” de Rufus Wainwright
“Stay,” de Rihanna
“Everybody Hurts,” de R.E.M.
“Good Woman,” de Cat Power
“Samson,” de Regina Spektor
“Breathe Me,” de Sia
“You Were Mine,” de Dixie Chicks
“Hey Mama,” de Kanye West
“A Man/Me/Then Jim,” de Rilo Kiley
“Twilight,” de Elliott Smith
“The Sounds of Silence,” de Simon & Garfunkel
“Flightless Bird, American Mouth,” Iron & Wine
“This Year’s Love,” David Gray
“I Will Remember You,” Sarah McLachlan
“Lost,” Michael Bublé
“Fix You,” Coldplay
