Philippine E-Journals

The Effect of Positive and Negative Music in Changing the Moods of College Students

Mary Jane G. Barluado | Renan P. Limjuco | Michelle K. Bucag | Rodrigo V. Miedes | Jeoffry C. Quiban | Cenia Mari S. Salvaleon

 

Abstract:

Music has become an integral part of today’s youth, influencing their moods and emotions. In this study, we describe the change of moods as triggered by music among 120 randomly selected college students. Specifically, we determined if the mood of the participants would be significantly changed after listening to positive or negative music, and investigated their personal reasons for changing moods after music-listening. We employed sequential explanatory mixed methods design. In the quantitative part, we used validated self-made questionnaire and six songs chosen based on lyrical content, to determine the moods of the participants before and after music intervention. For the qualitative part, we interviewed the participants to explore their feelings and subjective experience triggered by listening to either positive or negative music. The data were analyzed using McNemar statistics and thematic analysis. The results showed no significant change in the moods of the participants after listening to individual music. However, significant change in their moods was revealed by the collective data for all positive (p = .016) and negative (p = .002) music. Six themes emerged from the participant’s narratives, in support of the statistical results. Our findings could be useful for youth-advocated individuals and organizations in understanding the dispositions of young people as influenced by their music choices, hence strategizing music-oriented activities for their well-being.