If you ever spend a few minutes thinking about music as something affirmative, you realize that you have been manipulated by this your whole life, not even acknowledging. Every memory in our head have specific background music that is subconsciously played by our brain in order to capture the moment better and give it a certain mood.
Music isn’t just sound—it’s a mind hack.
Should we fight it? Absolutely not. Knowing the psychology behind it can embrace our understanding of music choice and help to be the king of a playlist – whether it is just a student party or a large-scale event with the VIP guests. Anyway, since it is my first post and I want you to follow my thoughts in the future, let us talk about basics that were found when Spotify might have been used as a word for execution rather than a streaming platform…
Music and its influence on people on different occasions started to be studied back in the 20th century. People did not have such variety of genres as we do now, so they mostly observed rhythms and tempo. Hevner (1936) found out that firm rhythms were judged to be more sacred, serious, and/or robust; smooth-flowing rhythms were felt to be more happy, playful, and/or dreamy. According to other researchers, all other things being equal, fast music is considered to be more happy and/or pleasant than slow music. Looking at this research now, I am not surprised as it is like facts for kids, but what if we go deeper?
Have you ever thought why everybody loves to go a club and dance their … off like there is no tomorrow? The answer is simple — energy. So what provides this energy? What does make people move and dance? — Rhythm. A simple combination of all beloved basses and drum patterns. I am going to tell you one DJ trick and do not tell me you have not noticed that somewhere in a club:
“Drop the bass slightly lower than expected before a beat drop — it creates anticipation that makes the crowd explode”
If you want to know more – You Suck at DJing – How to Drop the Bass
No DJ skills but want to enhance everybody’s mood at a particular event? Just play nostalgic songs and a feeling of connection is created for you. As soon as you look at people around, you will know the hook. No need to be an expert, everything has been already done for you, so it is just 2 clicks to find a right playlist that is a perfect match with the audience you have. Why does it work everytime? Shared emotional experience is a key. The audience identifies moments in their lives that is a reflection of who they were at that time and then they are willing to tell about it to the people around, thus, strengthening social bonds (and this is exactly what we are looking for at an event).
Final drop:
As you might have understood, music isn’t just noise—it’s a whole vibe that shapes how we feel, what we remember, and how we connect. Whether it’s the drop in a DJ set, the perfect tempo, or that one throwback song that hits different, music lowkey controls our emotions. It can turn any moment—whether you’re partying or just chilling solo—into something unforgettable.
So next time you make a playlist, don’t just pick songs. You’re setting the mood, playing with emotions, and basically hacking brains with sound.
And as a small present from me, I am sharing some playlists that you need at various events:
-
“Jazz-blues-relax, cooking (optional)” playlist
-
“Home party or everybody’s favourite” playlist
-
“What can be better than some hardcore rhythm with a loud bass?” playlist
Let me know in the comments if you like them and think they might be suitable for your usage!
P.S. You can also text below what topic would be interesting for you to read next time, I am all ears (and eyes in this case) 🙂
