Discussion
The results of the study support the hypothesis presented at the beginning of the research. According to the outcome of the analysis performed on the collected data, it is apparent that the hypothesis is supported by the study. It was noted that there is a positive correlation between the use of music for positive mood management and spiritual well-being of an individual. There is a direct correction between the use of music for positive mood management and spiritual well-being of an individual. According to the results and analysis of the data collected during the research, it can be deduced that the use of music for mood management greatly influence an individual’s spiritual well-being.
Empirical finding and theory
The findings of this study are concurrent with empirical studies and theoretical studies that have been done on the relationship that exists between the use of music for positive mood management and spiritual well-being. Bernatzky et al. (2011) assert that the use of music for positive mood management has a direct correlation with an individual’s health and wellbeing. In most cases, the frequent employment of music by businesses and individuals is aimed at manipulating arousal levels and moods in a positive direction. The use of music in hospitals has always been identified to reduce anxiety, pain or stress, thereby improve the effects of aesthetic drugs or minimising their usage. This effect is known to lessen the period of hospitalisation as it improves health and wellbeing of hospitalised patients. According to Bernatzky et al. (2011), music has a significant effect a majority of medically-related conditions. Children, as compared to adults and infants, respond positively to the influences of music. Also, females respond more positively than males to the impacts of music.
Additional empirical studies conducted by Saarikallio on the influences of music used for positive mood management on an individual’s well-being also support the findings of this study. According to Saarikallio, calming background music has been known to have a direct effect on biological indicators of stress such as blood pressure, perceived anxiety and cortisol. However, the measure of effectiveness relies on age, the type of stress, musical preferences, the manner in which the music is played and the previous level of musical experience. Several studies have demonstrated that background music can help to assuage stress in patients waiting for therapy. There is a large pool of literature and research devoted to establishing the impacts of music on behavior and cognition (Saarikallio, 2011). A large number of these literary works is fueled by the desired to comprehend the effect of playing music on mood and individual wellbeing. Music is known to have different effects on the performance of individual daily tasks such as driving, shopping, studying, eating and exercising. Existing literature support the theory that there is a positive relationship between the use of music for mood management and individual wellbeing (Saarikallio & Erkkil, 2007).
It is imperative to note that different individuals employ the use of music to support a myriad of activities in their daily lives. In most cases, music is used to change individual moods and to generate specific ambiences in homes (Krumhansl, 2002). As noted in this study, the response to music varies with different human beings across the globe. Individual response to music can be intellectual, physiological, emotional, motor or associated with a change in mood or arousal.
While the findings did not address certain causative factors, it is worth noting that familiarity and preferences also impact individual responses to music. According to McFerran (2016), preferred music has been shown to decrease subjective feelings of tension irrespective of its nature, although the physiological responses may be in the desired direction. The mediating role associated with cognition cannot be ignored. Music may be associated with a specific experience in our lives inducing upsetting or pleasurable memories.
Additionally, music is associated with the identity; hence exposure to soothing music in a genre which is foreign to that specific identity may upsurge arousal rather than reduce it (Pacchetti et al., 2000). The difficulties associated with predicting the exact impacts of any specific piece of music are attributed to the complex and interacting nature of the factors which affect responses to music. However, it is imperative to point out that there is some genera trend in the effects of music. The trends are discussed wellbeing and health. Furthermore, background music has been known to have an indirect consequence on individual’s health and wellbeing through the characteristic it can illicit. It can affect an individual's financial position, lifestyle and health and wellbeing through its influences on the nature of purchasing characteristics. Additionally, it can encourage an individual to spend more than they can afford.
Limitations of the study
There are certain limitations exhibited by this study. It does not address all the components of music that contribute the positive relationship between the use of music for mood management and spiritual well-being. According to MacDonald, Kreutz, & Mitchell (2012), the relationships that exist between physiological measures and responses to certain elements of background music and supposed musical experience is complicated. However, there is a positive influence of music in physiological arousal. Additionally, the research has failed to elaborate on the components of spiritual well-being. While a positive correlation between the use of music for positive mood management and spiritual well-being has been demonstrated, a direct relationship between the two variables has not been properly outlined. It is imperative to clearly outline the constituents of all the variables under study. The responses to music are based on pre-set connections specifically associated with the primitive constituents of music such as tempo, pitch, timbre and loudness. In other cases, emotions can be triggered when the expectations of music are delayed or disconfirmed. These components of music have not been properly addressed by the study. Also, the study should clearly elaborate and present a properly and vivid definition of the variables so as to enable easy comprehension of the relationship that exist between them.
Summary
It is apparent that music can have a positive effect on individual spiritual wellbeing. Its impacts on mood and arousal are undeniable. However, there are several issues that exist about the nature of background music. The effects associated with background music on individual health and wellbeing depend on the whether the individual selected the background music or it was enforced by others. It is significant to note that music has a very string effect on emotions, moods and arousal, thus can influence behavior. The spiritual well-being of an individual is affected by the influence of music on behaviour. While music can be used for positive mood management to enhance spiritual well-being of an individual, there are negative effects associated with the use of inappropriate music. In most cases, discrepancies in the expected outcome usually occur when the music is imposed on the individual.
References
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