SIGNIFICANE OF MUSIC IN COLLEGE STUDENTS

The Presence and Significance of Listening to and Playing Music During the College Years Jason Stone Saint Michaels College

Author Note Carolyn Whitney, Psychology Department Saint Michaels College Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to: 1 Winooski Park, Colchester, VT, 05439 cwhitney@smcvt.edu

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The Presence and Significance of Listening to and Playing Music During the College Years As you walk around a college campus, you will see many students with ear buds in, or playing music outside with their friends. It seems that music plays an important role in the lives of college students. So much so that numerous studies have been done to examine the effects of music on students, both biologically and psychologically. A study done in 2003 looked into the daily music listening habits of 47 non-music majors and music majors. After keeping journals of their music habits and emotions over a twoweek span it was discovered that rock was the most commonly listened to genre of music. Studying and driving were the most common activities engaged in while listening to music (Stratton & Zalanowski, 2003). Exercising was in the lower half of activities. For the study I am conducting I expect to see higher amounts of music listening during exercising due to the advances in technology that allow music players to be extremely small. Music was also listened to at an average of 161.4 minutes a day. It will be interesting to see if this number will differ after a time span of ten years. More pertinent to the study I am conducting is the mood changes that came before and after listening episodes. All of the positive moods in participants increased after listening to music. All negative moods except for fearful, which remained the same, decreased. (Stratton & Zalanowski, 2003). These findings are extremely relevant and indicated that there is a relationship between music and moods, but this study does not examine the amounts of stress in relationship to music listening.

SIGNIFICANE OF MUSIC IN COLLEGE STUDENTS Researchers have approached measuring stress in individuals in more than one way. For example they have used physiological measures to measure cortisol. Higher cortisol levels indicate higher levels of stress (Toyoshima, Fukui, & Kuda, 2011) and (Field, Martinez, Nawrocki, Pickens, Fox, & Schanber, 1998). Researchers also take self-reported measures to see what the participants self-perceived stress levels are (Hatta & Nakamura, 1991) In a study that used self-reported measures it was found that students who had high anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem gained psychological help from musical therapy (Wu, 2002). Directly after therapy they had lower reports of anxiety and depression. However during a 2 month follow-up after the therapy ended only depression had remained lower. These findings are important because they show that music can have an influence on the psychological well being of people. However in the study I am conducting I will be looking deeper into seeing whether or not listening to music in an average setting can mimic any of the same effects as music therapy. Other studies have also found that music can help reduce anxiety and anger increasing relaxation directly after experiencing a stressor (Labb, Schmidt, Babin, & Pharr, 2007). In another study done by Hirokawa & Ohira, (2003) they found that after experiencing a stressor low-uplifting music increased the sense of well-being and highuplifting music increased liveliness and decreased depression. Both of these studies show after experiencing stressful situations music can help relieve the symptoms that go along with this stress. In the study I am conducting I will be more concerned in the overall stress of college students as compared to a specific stressful event.

SIGNIFICANE OF MUSIC IN COLLEGE STUDENTS In a replication study researchers found similar results that certain types of personalities were correlated with how music was used. People high in neuroticism, which are people who are more likely to experience negative emotions, used music to regulate their emotions. People high in extraversion, which are people who have positive emotions and seek pleasure, used music as a background stimulus while participating in other activities. Lastly people high in Openness, which is where people have higher appreciations for art, emotions and imagination, used music in a cognitive or intellectual way (Chamorro-Premuzic, Goma-i-Freixanet, & Muro, 2009). It is interesting to notice that although music plays an important role in many peoples lives, depending on the person it can play a different type of role. In a study done by Field et al., (1998) it was discovered that cortisol levels in chronically depressed female adolescents were decreased after listening to a 23-minute session of rock music. They also found that in the frontal EEG, 10 out of the 14 girls had a frontal EEG shift from the right to the left. Out of the four that didnt see any shift, after switching the music from rock to classical, three also had a shift towards the left. This is significant because more activity in the left frontal EEG is associated with positive affect while more activity in the right frontal EEG is associated with negative affect. The only concern regarding this study is that participants did not report any change in mood state. Although so far all that has been discussed is the effect of listening to music, it is also of great interest the effect that playing an instrument can have on stress levels and psychological health. Creative activities have lowered cortisol levels and also self reported anxiety levels. Yet playing the piano was significantly greater at lowering both

SIGNIFICANE OF MUSIC IN COLLEGE STUDENTS cortisol and anxiety as compared to calligraphy and clay molding (Toyoshima et al., 2011). There has not been much research in regards to self-reported stress levels. I will also explore the associations between playing an instrument and GPA. Music clearly has multiple effects on behaviors and thoughts, and is something that is very important in college students lives. This study will further explore the presence and importance of music for college students during such a strenuous time. Method Design Not sure if a design is needed for a simple correlational study. Participants In this study participants will be undergraduate college students at Saint Michaels College. The average age will range from 17-22. Approximately 50 to 100 students will be expected to participate from all grade levels. Initially all undergraduate students will be sent an e-mail asking them to fill out numerous questionnaires. If I do not receive enough feedback I will than put hard copies into peoples mailboxes. If that still does not produce the needed sample size I will have Introduction to Psychology students fill out the questionnaires. There will be a demographics survey included as well in order to know important facts of the participants. Due to the survey convenience sampling will be used. Materials The instruments used will be surveys with questions regarding to the amount of time spent listening to music, what genres of music are most listed to, the importance of

SIGNIFICANE OF MUSIC IN COLLEGE STUDENTS music in the participants lives, the setting in which they listen to music, involvement with playing an instrument, demographics, self-esteem, stress, and happiness. Procedure Also not sure whether or not a procedure section is required since I am not forming an experimental study. Results Anticipated results are that students who listen to music as a relaxer while partaking in no other activity will have lower stress levels. There will also be a significant difference in stress levels of those who listen to calm, low tempo types of music as opposed to those who listed to high tempo music. Students who play an instrument will have lower stress levels if they play the instrument every week and not just occasionally.

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References Chamorro-Premuzic, T., Gom-i-Freixanet, M., Furnham, A., & Muro, A. (2009). Personality, self-estimated intelligence, and uses of music: A Spanish replication and extension using structural equation modeling. Psychology Of Aesthetics, Creativity, And The Arts, 3(3), 149-155. doi:10.1037/a0015342

Field, T. M., Martinez, A., Nawrocki, T., Pickens, J., Fox, N. A., & Schanberg, S. (1998). Music shifts frontal EEG in depressed adolescents. Adolescence, 33(129), 109116.

George, D., Stickle, K., Rachid, F., & Wopnford, A. (2007). The association between types of music enjoyed and cognitive, behavioral, and personality factors of those who listen. Psychomusicology: A Journal Of Research In Music Cognition, 19(2), 32-56.

Hatta, T., & Nakamura, M. (1991). Can antistress music tapes reduce mental stress?. Stress Medicine, 7(3), 181-184. doi:10.1002/smi.2460070309

SIGNIFICANE OF MUSIC IN COLLEGE STUDENTS Hirokawa, E., & Ohira, H. (2003). The Effects of Music Listening after a Stressful Task on Immune Functions, Neuroendocrine Responses, and Emotional States in College Students. Journal Of Music Therapy, 40(3), 189-211.

Labb, E., Schmidt, N., Babin, J., & Pharr, M. (2007). Coping with stress: The effectiveness of different types of music. Applied Psychophysiology And Biofeedback, 32(3-4), 163-168. doi:10.1007/s10484-007-9043-9

Rubin, A. M., West, D. V., & Mitchell, W. S. (2001). Differences in aggression, attitudes toward women, and distrust as reflected in popular music preferences. Media Psychology, 3(1), 25-42. doi:10.1207/S1532785XMEP0301_02

Stratton, V. N., & Zalanowski, A. H. (1997). The relationship between characteristic moods and most commonly listened to types of music. Journal Of Music Therapy, 34(2), 129-140.

Stratton, V. N., & Zalanowski, A. H. (2003). Daily music listening habits in college students: Related moods and activities. Psychology And Education: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 40(1), 1-11.

Toyoshima, K., Fukui, H., & Kuda, K. (2011). Piano playing reduces stress more than other creative art activities. International Journal Of Music Education, 29(3), 257263. doi:10.1177/0255761411408505

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Wu, S. (2002). Effects of music therapy on anxiety, depression and self-esteem of undergraduates. Psychologia: An International Journal Of Psychology In The Orient, 45(2), 104-114. doi:10.2117/psysoc.2002.104 Appendix Certificate of Informed Consent Title of Study: Music and its Role in College Students Everyday Lives Investigator: Jason Stone Thank you for giving up your time today to fill out these surveys today. In this study you will be answering a range of question regarding personal music likes, importance of music, and how often it is used it your life. Risks and Benefits: There are no known risks for participating is this study. All responses are anonymous. The surveys are completed online and cannot be traced back to specific names. Participation in this study will put you into a lottery for the chance to win 10 dollars. Contacts: If you have any questions regarding this survey please contact Jason Stone at jstone3@mail.smcvt.edu Participation: Participation in this study is completely voluntary. You can stop participating at anytime or refuse to answer certain questions if you so feel so. If you have no objections, it would be most appreciated if you complete the surveys to the best of your abilities. Age Requirement: You must be at least 18 years of age to participate in this study. Your signature below indicates that you meet this requirement. Your signature also indicates that you agree to participate in this study. Date:___/___/___ Name (print):________________________ Signature:__________________________ Age:___

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Debreifing Form The Presence and Significance of Listening to and Playing Music During the College Years Jason Stone Department of Psychology Saint Michaels College In this study each student was sent out surveys regarding their involvement with music in college. They were asked to answer how important music was in their lives, how often they listen to music, what genres of music they listen to, whether or not they play an instrument, and other assorted demographic questions. For this study I expect to see that students who listen to calming music, as their main activity, will experience lower levels of stress. I also expect to see that students who play an instrument more than once a week will also experience lower levels of stress. Previous research shows that people how listen to calming music directly after a stressor have lower levels of stress. Stress can also be lowered through the use of musical therapy. This study will investigate whether or not these same effects can be created to students who listen to music on their own time. It will also judge the overall stress of students not just their well-being directly after a stressor. Some of the following references can provide further information if you are interested:

Labb, E., Schmidt, N., Babin, J., & Pharr, M. (2007). Coping with stress: The effectiveness of different types of music. Applied Psychophysiology And Biofeedback, 32(3-4), 163-168. doi:10.1007/s10484-007-9043-9 Stratton, V. N., & Zalanowski, A. H. (2003). Daily music listening habits in college students: Related moods and activities. Psychology And Education: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 40(1), 1-11. Toyoshima, K., Fukui, H., & Kuda, K. (2011). Piano playing reduces stress more than other creative art activities. International Journal Of Music Education, 29(3), 257-263. doi:10.1177/0255761411408505

SIGNIFICANE OF MUSIC IN COLLEGE STUDENTS If you would like to see the results of this study you can contact Jason Stone (518-6838792) anytime after May 1st. If you have any other questions you can contact me at any time. Thank you for your time and helping my research process.

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Forms for collecting data have not been created yet. I would like your help on how to construct questions because I have not had any experience in this yet.