1

Ethan Gaudette

Dean Leonard

English Composition II

23 March 2020

Literature Review
How has music continued to have the power and influence it has over the years on us,

both as a society and individually? That is my research question, and a question that while

some may have a brief idea of an answer to it, I don’t think many people would if you asked

them on the spot. Music has been a part of history since the beginning of time, a key

fundamental object in society and the history of the world. While everyone’s opinions are

subjective, music can be a variety of things, from banging two rocks together in a rhythmic

fashion, to the classic tunes of Beethoven’s piano pieces, to the rapid-fire wordplay of rap,

arguably the most popular form of music in society now, Music has always been with us. But

why, what brings about such diversity in people’s tastes in music? How has it united us as a

society together time and time again, standing the test of time? It is more than having a specific

taste, exploring music and its power over us delves into the minds of humans psychologically,

and even helps us understand ourselves better.

Music, and people’s opinions on it and it’s genres have shifted and evolved over time.

Compare the classic music of the 1700’s and 1800’s to rock and roll. When rock and roll rose

onto the stage of popularity in the 1950’s, parents all over the world despised the music and

their children listening to it. But as people’s views and societal norms changed over the years,

people’s opinions changed on the genre as well. Today it can be argued that rap is the 21st
 2

century equivalent of rock and roll, despised by parents, loved by the youth. It could be argued

that people’s upbringings contribute to this as well. My mother was raised by a very humble

and religious family. My grandmother today still hates rock music, while my grandpa will listen

to the “classics” and nothing else. She enjoys gospel and country music, and will ensure you

know that as she loudly sings along to it on the way to church on Sunday mornings. My father

was raised by a hip, suburban mom, and a very stern, tough father who worked on aircraft

during Vietnam. He adores rock and roll as well as the early 90’s hip hop era of music. There are

a majority of factors that contribute to the popularity of the many different sounds and voices

of music during their time, but why does it stay so popular over the years, no matter how

different it sounds?

Throughout the different articles I chose discussing the topic of the power of music and

why it is so popular, a recurring argument was the simplicity of music, but also the pleasure and

enjoyment it brings us. Romanian guitarist Ion Olteteanu discusses this in his article on the

power of music and its power on social identity. He quotes British neurologist Oliver Sacks on

what he had to say about music after collecting his research on the subject, arguing that, “‘We

turn to music, we need it, because of its ability to move us, to induce feelings and moods, states

of mind'’” (Olteteanu). David Greenburg, a psychologist, delves even further into the study of

the effects music has on us neurologically. He concludes that music preferences can be

connected to one’s thought styles. He made three categories for these thinkers. “Empathizers

(Type E) have a strong interest in people’s thoughts and emotions. Systemizers (Type S) have a

strong interest in patterns, systems and the rules that govern the world. And those who score

relatively equally on empathy and systemizing are classified as ‘balanced’ (Type B)”
 3

(Greenburg). He then was able to achieve similar results on people’s tastes in music depending

on their type of thought styles. The music these people connect with and experience peace and

happiness through is in fact influenced neurologically. Of course, our thoughts and emotions

are not the only factors that play a key into what kind of music brings us this pleasure, many

different factors make us who we are as humans. As discussed earlier, how we were brought

up, memories we have associated with certain songs, and more influence our love for and taste

in music.

Another common point that is made in the articles is how music is an escape from the

stressful world around us. In The New York Times article written by Amisha Padnani, an editor

for the company, she discusses how music helps us focus in, but also pulls us away from a

boring or stressful environment. “Some workers like to listen to music when they find

themselves losing focus. They may also plug in their earbuds to escape an environment that’s

too noisy — or too quiet — or to make a repetitive job feel more lively” (Padnani). She

continues with a more scientific breakdown of why people choose music to escape these

environments, writing, “In biological terms, melodious sounds help encourage the release of

dopamine in the reward area of the brain” (Padnani). Some will point out that music could

instead be hurtful or distracting in these situations, even Padnani herself discusses this in her

article. Dissociation is looked at as a childish coping mechanism by some, though it has been

shown to help calm down individuals. But these distractions that music brings us can also be

seen as a benefit. Letting music take us to these different worlds for just a couple minutes can

boost our mood and help get back to focusing on the matter at hand, and it would seem a

majority of people around the world agree. In an article looking at the time people spend
 4

listening to music, it provides the statistics that, “Music is heard between 44% and 68% of

people's waking hours, accompanying a range of activities such as travel, eating, exercise, work

and study” (Rose et al).

There are of course disagreements between the articles and authors. A key factor is

what people get out of listening to music, and why they do so. While the authors agree on the

fact of the emotional response, there is a division on what the listeners get out of it. We

haven’t been able to fully understand the brain yet, let alone the complexities of the effects

music has on it. In another article written by Greenburg discussing what music is, he states that,

“music is like a constant companion. It can bring us joy and motivate us, accompany us through

difficult times, and alleviate our worries” (Greenburg). Some may get more out of music than

others, a need to search for a certain song’s meaning or more about a certain band. Many

simply enjoy listening to the music, it brings them happiness, a brief look or listen into another

world, and that's all they need.

To conclude, music has continued to be a powerful, beautiful, and influential part of our

world. There’s a general agreement that music brings out a blissful psychological pleasure, it

causes our brain to release dopamine, and it helps bring us to a new world for those brisk

minutes the song plays. But there is more to look into about music. There is more to look into

how music and the brain work together, delving deeper into the science of music to better

understand why it's remained so popular and powerful throughout history. There are more

factors to look into to examine if and how they contribute to one’s taste in music and how that

music affects them. Factors such as demographics, the culture one grows up around, and more.
 5

In conclusion, there is still a lot more to look into music, and a lot more that is still unsolved

about it.

Works Cited

Greenberg, David M. “Musical Preferences and the Brain.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 21
Dec. 2017, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-music/201712/musical-preferences-
and-the-brain. Accessed 23 Feb. 2020

Greenberg, David M. “What Is Music...Exactly?” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 3 Aug. 2017,
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-music/201608/what-is-music-exactly. Accessed
1 Mar. 2020

Olteteanu, Ion. "The formative function of musical interactions within social identity." Geopolitics,
History, and International Relations, vol. 3, no. 1, 2011, p. 215+. Gale In Context: Opposing
Viewpoints, https://link-gale-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/A267134572/OVIC?
u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=1dcf2f7d. Accessed 1 Mar.. 2020.

Padnami, Amisha. “The Power of Music, Tapped in a Cubicle.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/jobs/how-music-can-improve-worker-productivity-
workstation.html?searchResultPosition=1. Accessed 1 Mar. 2020

Sanfilippo, Katie Rose M., et al. "Do the shuffle: Exploring reasons for music listening through
shuffled play." PLoS ONE, vol. 15, no. 2, 2020, p. e0228457. Gale In Context: Opposing
Viewpoints, https://link-gale-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/A613315792/OVIC?
u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=0c585b39. Accessed 23 Feb. 2020.
6