Blog Post #2; Project Plan

Hey everyone and welcome back to my second blog post of semester two! For this Inquiry assignment, I chose to discuss the question “How and Why Does Music Impact Our Lives, and In What Way?”. For this assignment, I will be splitting my work into three parts. Since this question is open-ended, it is important for me to take the time to properly research the various sub-topics which relate to my main question. 

1. How does music impact and change people’s lives? Can this be a positive or negative change? 

This sub-question correlates to my main inquiry and helps me answer one of the main parts of the question itself. By understanding how music affects people’s minds and the way we think/act, I would be able to understand why it is so important in everyone’s lives. Music is a form of art almost everyone enjoys. Due to its variety in genres, instruments, artists etc, it’s difficult not to enjoy SOME component. Additionally, if I find out whether this change is negative or positive, I could use this information to help others around me. This would also help me find real examples of how music has affected someone’s life. Using this information, and the information from my other sub-questions, I could make an educated guess as to how music may affect someone’s life. 

2. Does music affect your mood? In what way? 

By understanding how music can affect your mood, I will be able to understand why different songs and artists make people feel a certain way. Since a majority of people spend an average of 18 hours a week listening to music, a large amount of your mood during the day is affected by what you are listening to. By understanding this effect and how it can be different for everyone, I will be able to understand how music can impact DIFFERENT people’s lives. It will help teach me how music can be a mood stimulator and why that’s important for some people. This will help me understand WHY music impacts people’s lives. 

3. How does music affect the brain? How can listening to music help reduce stress?

Lastly, to understand HOW and WHY music impacts people’s lives, I need to understand how it affects our brains. In what way does it affect us? What makes us like certain songs or feel a certain way when listening to certain songs? All of these questions will help me know why this impact is important and how this impact could have positive or negative repercussions on our lives. This would also help me understand in what way it affects us. 

Here are a few links I believe will help me with my future research; 

https://www.pfizer.com/news/articles/why_and_how_music_moves_us#:~:text=Music%20and%20Mood&text=The%20limbic%20system%2C%20which%20is,when%20our%20ears%20perceive%20music.&text=The%20chills%20you%20feel%20when,of%20pleasure%20and%20well%2Dbeing

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/keep-your-brain-young-with-music#:~:text=Research%20has%20shown%20that%20listening,%2C%20mental%20alertness%2C%20and%20

https://psychcentral.com/stress/the-power-of-music-to-reduce-stress

https://mindvoyage.in/the-positive-and-negative-effects-of-music-on-human-behaviour/#:~:text=The%20power%20and%20influence%20of,%2C%20substance%20use%2C%20and%20stereotyping.

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/mental-listening-to-music-lifts-or-reinforces-mood-051713

How does this question have implications for other individuals and/or my community?

This question relates to a majority of people in my community, since music is something that is enjoyed by everyone. If I can understand how music can reduce stress and anxiety, I can help the people around me learn how to face these challenges. Music has always been a way for people to escape from reality and a distraction from our problems. By understanding how this affects our brain, I will also be able to understand how it could control our mood. This is important as it could help me and others in my community understand how to use music as a tool to help you during tough situations.