Music is an incredibly powerful tool! It is a universal language that can definitively change your mood for the better!
Think about the following situation: you’re driving home from work, tired, exhausted, stuck in traffic, when suddenly a familiar, upbeat song starts playing. Instantly you feel uplifted, excited, and happy! One reason for this mood elevation may be that certain songs trigger happy memories in the hippocampus. Another explanation may be that the arrangement of sounds in certain melodies are especially pleasing to the brain. Research also shows that among the many benefits, listening to music enhances your special-temporal reasoning called the “Mozart Effect”. The bottom line: music is a means to happier moods and faster information processing!
How to infuse your life with happy, mood-lifting music!
Start creating a list of songs that make you feel happy. Songs that bring up pleasant memories and that instantly brighten your mood. Keep the list with you on your phone or on a post-it in your purse or car. You’ll be surprised how quick and easy it is to come up with enough songs for a CD (or two or three!). Compile the list into a playlist for your ipod and make a copy for your car. Then, anytime you’re in need of a quick mood lifter, plug in to your custom happy-list! Warning: It’s hard not to dance and sing along!
If you need help getting started, check out this article written by Beth Shapouri of Glamour Magazine about songs that “make you feel pretty”. Also, utilize websites like youtube to listen to compile information (like song title, artist, and album title) to make downloading the music even easier!
And if you’re really stuck, here is a list of songs from my playlist simply titled “Songs that make me Happy”.
**REMEMBER! This works best when you make the playlist of songs that evoke your own happy memories and are especially pleasing to your ears. Trust me, it’s worth the effort!
"Songs that make me Happy"
- “Video” - India.Arie
- “Stand By Me” - Playing for Change
- “Chanda Mama” - Playing for Change
- “Esta Noche” - Pedro Capó
- “In These Shoes” - Kristy Maccoll
- “Love and happiness” - Al Green
- “A Deus Eu Peço” - Alexandre Pires
- “She’s So High” - Tal Bachman
- “Tu es Foutu” - In-Grid
- “Rie y Llora” - Celia Cruz
- “Someday We’ll Know” - Jonathan Foreman & Mandy More
- “Never Let You Go” - Third Eye Blind
- “Boogie Shoes” - KC Sunshine Band
- “Suddenly I see” - KT Tunstall
- “Garota Nacional” - Skank
- “Maria” - Ricky Martin
- “Ruby Blue” - Roisin Murphy
- “Morenamia” - Miguel Bose con Julieta Venegas
Embrace yourself!
~Jessica
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