Pick up on these good vibrations.
A UK researcher is revealing the songs more than likely to make listeners feel completely happy — and all of it boils all the way down to an easy formula.
Dr. Michael Bonshor, who teaches music psychology on the University of Sheffield, claims the winning combination for a joyful rating is: A serious key, seventh chords, 137 beats per minute, a robust beat, 4 beats in every bar, and a verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure.
It’s what reportedly makes “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys considered one of the world’s happiest songs, together with “I Got You” by James Brown, “Get the Party Began” by Pink, and “Uptown Girl” by Billy Joel.
“Previous studies have found songs are perceived as completely happy in the event that they are in a significant key, with a sweet spot of roughly 137 beats per minute,” Bonshor said in an announcement to media outlets.
“We like ‘seventh chords’ as they add interest; regular chords use three notes, whereas ‘seventh chords’ add an additional note which provides a way of musical ‘tension’ and ‘relief.’”
The catchy tracks are likely to be pop songs with repeated riffs, a robust beat and a shiny tone.
“We like high volume in the case of how our completely happy songs are made, with notes played in a shiny and bouncy way by instruments comparable to trumpets or electric guitars as an alternative of mellower instruments,” Bonshor added. “Finally, a repetitive rhythm or guitar riff that folks can latch onto and becomes memorable is the cherry on the cake.”
To place the happiness formula to the test, producers Jamie P and Oliver Price created an upbeat track called “The Lighter Note,” which was commissioned by UK yogurt brand Müllerlight. Available on Soundcloud, the lyric-less tune is shiny, cheery and fast-paced — in keeping with Bonshor, the proper song to evoke happiness.
In a Brit-based poll recently commissioned by Müllerlight, 71% of the two,000 respondents revealed that music has a strong impact on their overall mood, with 64% of individuals saying they use music to spark joy.
Past studies have linked music to influencing moods, behaviors and even concentration.
Research published last 12 months showed that students who jam out while studying actually earned higher GPAs, while one other 2022 study found that surgeons who listened to AC/DC within the operating room were quicker and more accurate.
“It is feasible that music with high rhythmicity could provide a tempo to maintain up the speed of the performance and thus enhance task performance,” German researcher Cui Yang, of Heidelberg University, noted within the journal Langenbeck’s Archives of Surgery.
