Lyrics and well being

“Words make you think….music makes you feel….but a song makes you feel thoughts” (Yip Harburg)

This quote is taken from Tricia Fox Ransom’s paper “Message in the music: Do lyrics influence wellbeing?”

There have been a number of studies looking at the effects of music on mood and emotion, however, very little regarding the effect lyrics have. The paper makes the point which I have visited in other blogs about songwriting and in particular lyric writing can be a cathartic process. Young people I have worked with often use songwriting as a medium for communicating their thoughts and feelings about a particular issue which is affecting them.

Ransom's paper also uses an evidence based approach to defining the characteristics of wellbeing: positive emotions, grit, meaning, purpose, engagement and resilience to name a few. It is important to gain an understanding of these traits in order to measure more easily the effects of the study. The author also looks at the field of literature research to improve wellbeing and states:

“The ability for literature to enhance well-being is not exclusive to intake of outside sources."

Robert Rebele (2010) points out that three of the most successful positive interventions include writing for the self. Delivering a gratitude letter, writing down three good things that happened each day, and writing about a time when you were your best self all lead to enhanced well being (Rebele, 2010.)

While it could be suggested that it is the topic at hand that enhances well-being, it is undeniable that writing can play a role. The research of expressive writing has shown that basic writing for just 15 minutes a day can produce significant improvement in wellbeing by supporting and enhancing motivation, self-efficacy, flow, and self-regulation(Pennebaker & Seagal, 1999).”

Another very good point made by the author discusses the plasticity of the brain and states that teenagers are at the second most impressionable age outwith the first two years of life. And as one of the largest consumers of music they are left vulnerable by the topics of certain songs. Whether that is damaging self image, or encouraging age inappropriate behavior. The paper mentions the World Well-being project looking at psychological and medical well-being based on language in social media. There is a correlation both positive and negative of the words and language used in social media.

Ransom also mentions Martin Seligman’s PERMA model highlighting indicators of wellbeing.

https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/perma-model/

There is a suggestion that the music industry could look towards incorporating elements of PERMA into the lyrics of songs. The author concludes:

“More than that by bringing awareness of music’s ability to influence emotions and lyrics ability to connect meaning, we can enhance individual well-being through listening to music.”