Music and Moods

As I was reading chapter 6, I came across an interesting quote made by Levitin. On page 191, he says, "Music is clearly a means for improving people's mood. " He concluded that listening to music triggers the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine which is the brains pleasure and reward system.

When I look at this quote it makes me think about music and emotions and how it really does have a grand effect on peoples' mood. Remember when we were babies ,well of course we don't , but if you were ever in the room with a crying baby what did the mother do to the baby to sooth it? She sang to it! After a few minutes of a soothing melody, the baby stopped crying and drifted off to sleep.

I know many people that when they are angry, they listen to music to regain their composure. I know when I am angry or depressed I turn to music to soothe me. I never knew that music played such an important part of life, until I read this quote. Music guides how we feel, it calms us down, it helps us relax and it is a healthy "drug" that takes us away from the real world for a while and helps us go to our happy place. Music isn't just for mere entertainment, it holds something deeper and more significant. I do wonder though, can music initiate an emotion that does the opposite of helping us expiate what we are feeling. In simpler terms.....we established that music can be used to calm angry people down and help soothe people who are depressed, but can music make a depressed person sink deeper into despair? Can music make a happy period in life turn gloomy?