SSome people love it, some people hate it, but is our response to Christmas music more than just musical preference? Or does “falalalala” have a deeper psychological meaning and impact on our health? Why is it that when some people hear, for example, Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas”, they are immediately transported to childhood and filled with pleasant emotions? Why do we search for the same Christmas songs over and over (oddly, including “Grandma Got Run Over a Reindeer”), In a way that we can’t do with other types of music?
Research has shown that Music affects almost all parts of the brainWhich also includes areas that are related to memory and emotion.
Expert in this article
- Dean Mackey, PhDProfessor of psychology at Fordham University and a cognitive-behavioral psychologist at Wellness Associates in White Plains
- Robert Zatorre, PhDPresident of the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University
“When people listen to the music they like, we find a lot of interesting activity in parts of the brain that are related to pleasure, emotion, and reward,” says Robert Zatorre, PhD, chair of the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill. University and author From Perception to Pleasure: The Neuroscience of Music and Why We Love It. But, technically, he’s done with it Any music. “We asked people to choose jazz, classical, bagpipes, tango, pop, rock, etc.,” Zatorre says of himself. studies,
Still, holiday music seems to be unique in its ability to tap into our nostalgia and emotions in a way that almost feels like healing. So, is there anything special about Mariah Carey’s Christmas album? Let’s find out.
How does Christmas music affect us?
Although he has not specifically studied Zatorre’s Christmas music Work by analyzing the dopamine effect produced by music and further research reported by American Psychological Association Show that music you enjoy can reduce stress and put you in a good mood. So it turns out that “All I Want for Christmas is You” may, in fact, have some mood-boosting health benefits: “If someone is a fan of Christmas music, it may actually have positive physiological effects,” Zetore says.
Ronald Borzon, professor emeritus of music at California State University, Northridge, also points out that Christmas music can feel almost therapeutic Because of the structure of the music itself: Christmas tunes are usually in a major key, often Connected With positive emotions (versus music in a minor key, which is more dissonant and associated with sadness). In addition, Danish scientists are organizing a small study in 2022 Found that Christmas music can lower blood pressure levels and, according to researchers, “increase the Christmas spirit.”
But what if you’re the Christmas Grinch?
The Grinch and Ebenezer Scrooge won’t suddenly feel happy when they hear “Jingle Bells” – rather, the music may make them feel more excited.
“If people hate Christmas music, it will actually have the opposite effect,” Zatorre says. And even if you love Christmas music, repetition can change your experience of it, says Dean Mackey, Ph.D., a psychology professor at Fordham University. They say. “When music is played repeatedly, it can go from pleasant to unpleasant – it crosses that threshold.”
But most people try to adopt the mindset that Christmas music is fun, says Dr. Mackey. “If Christmas music is played within North American social boundaries from the day after Thanksgiving until the day after Christmas, most people associate it with the joyful mood of the season.” (Hint, Hint, Retailer: Playing Christmas music in October may backfire!)
Nostalgia factor (i.e. why have you seen elf 100 times)
The memories that Christmas music evokes may have a therapeutic effect on the brain Increase serotonin levels and Daniel J., Professor Emeritus of Psychology at McGill University. Calm anxiety, according to Levitin, who studied neurochemistry of music and write This is your mind on music. Furthermore, according to a study published in 2012, people actively and consciously seek out the same experiences again and again because they expect to experience the same positive emotions that they had in the past. Journal of Consumer Research.
For this reason, we watch the same movies, read the same books, and listen to Christmas songs over and over again – actively seeking out the joy He gave us before. So people who enjoy Christmas music will get a positive physiological response (also known as Christmas spirit) every year, provided it is not played too much.
