How Does Music Influence Human Nature Particularly In the Youth - Research Paper Example

How does music influence human nature particularly the youth? Introduction Music is a viable tool for sending important messages to large groups of people in the society. It creates a potent avenue for the musicians to air their views and give their thoughts on certain things affecting the society. Over the years, music has influenced the formation of many sub-cultures in the society that are based on the behavior expected of people listening to various music genres. Psychologists have it that everything human beings do have direct or indirect effect on their personalities. The type of music one listens to have a direct effect on his or her behavior since the brain grasps the ideas portrayed in the music. This is especially true for the types of music that have video graphics attached to them. In the recent past, parents all over the world have been complaining that their children are growing to mimic the behavior portrayed by musicians in their music videos. It follows that the youth in today’s world are behaving differently from what would be naturally expected of them and the type of music that they listen to is to blame. Music has both negative and positive effects on the listeners. The youths are worst affected by the behavioral changes influenced by music since they are in the age group that most musicians target when producing their music. This paper will discuss how music influences human nature particularly the youth. Effects of Music on the brain It is easy to see the effects of music on the youths based on their behavior. When music is for instance, played in a room filled with youths, the expected response is that some of the youths who are interested in the type of music playing will start dancing. Others will sing along to the lyrics and mimic the artist’s behaviors. This kind of response is voluntary but it has its roots on the mental configuration of the listeners. The brain, just like any other organ in the body, responds to physical stimuli. Music has a psychological effect on the listener and it may influence their behavior (Bowling & Darley 44). Researchers have concluded that music stimulates the brain of the listener and it may have a direct effect on the listener’s mood. This means that if a person’s mood is turned into excitement when he or she listens to a particular type of music, every time that kind of music is played will lead to a subsequent change in the person’s mood. This is subsequently portrayed in his or her behavior as he or she listens to the music. According to the cognitive theory, the brain has the ability to learn through repeated experiences; thus, listening to music can train the brain to respond differently depending on the music on the background (O’Donnell Para 3). People have different preferences of music. This is because the brain in different people responds differently to different external stimuli. Among the youths, there is a growing trend of the young people forming their friendship cliques based on the type of music they enjoy. Those who listen to hip hop music will most likely only associate with their counterparts who enjoy similar genres of music. Following this societal phenomenon among the youths, there has emerged distinct cultures among the youths in which the members’ behaviors are unique and parallel to the behaviors depicted by the music artists (Chen, Miller & Grube 3). Learning in human beings is mainly through observation. When the youths watch music videos, they adopt the dressing styles from the musicians and they behave in the same way as they see the people in the video acting. This has eroded the minds of a large percentage of teenagers in the society. While the musicians may only be acting to market their music, the youths take their behaviors seriously and they end up behaving in ways that could be regarded as immoral. Many parents are complaining about their teenagers’ dressing styles, especially for the youths who listen to rap music (O’Donnell Para 4). The youth stage in life is a very crucial stage in cognitive development of human beings. This is the stage in which the personalities and behaviors of people are fully nurtured in preparation for adulthood. During this crucial cognitive development stage, the youths absorb a lot of information from what they observe and hear. Music is a viable avenue for learning. What the youths hear in the music they listen to sticks to their minds and they may develop their lifetime values from the ideas put across by the musicians. Every type of music produced has a message that the musicians pass to their listeners; thus, the youths should watch out for the type of music they listen to. A teenager may be well nurtured and brought up in moral uprightness but after listening to some types of music they turn out to be deviant. This is particularly the case with hip hop music, which sends violent messages to the listeners (Herd 395). Peer pressure in the teenage stage is also greatly influenced by music. Young girls in their youth stage of life are the worst affected by the behavior of musicians in their videos. Musicians are producing explicit videos as a strategy to market their music. In the music videos, girls are depicted wearing skimpy clothing and engaging in immoral behaviors. The young girls in the society, who idolize the musicians and the ladies in their music videos, are being lured into dressing in offending ways and engaging in immoral activities. When the girls dress in suggestive ways, they send a message across that they are open to engage in immoral behaviors like prostitution. It also follows that when one girl dresses in a certain way, her peers are also likely to imitate her and the trend goes on (Shore Para 5). Violence is also another issue that has been raised by today’s music. Rap music is particularly very explicit on violence. The lyrics in most rap songs are about hatred, criminal activities and violence. The message sent across to the listeners is that violence is good and it should be used to settle differences in the society. This has affected the youths’ social behavior since most of them are engaging in violent behaviors as depicted in the music videos they watch (Herd 395). Many youths for instance, have engaged in high speed chases on the highways to get the experience as they see it on many music videos in which the rappers engage the police in high speed chases. Violence is a behavioral disorder that is acquired through observation and perception. Someone may be brought up to be very humble and responsible but through observation, later in life, he or she may be lured into violence. They may also adopt violent behaviors from what they perceive from the media, particularly in movies and music. Music videos depict people using different weapons and these acts as a learning avenue for the music lovers. Most youths who are engaged in violent activities involving guns claim to have learnt to handle guns through the media, including music videos. Music is promoting antisocial behaviors among the youths. It spreads hatred among the people especially when it is based on racial themes. Many youths have also been lured into the intake of alcohol and drug abuse by the music they listen to (Herd 397). Rap music has been identified as one of the most influential music among the youths. Majority of the youths find themselves listening to rap music at one time of the youth stage. Rap musicians normally use themes along the lines of ethnicity and racism as well as violence. In most rap songs, the rappers talk about their lives in oppression, insecurity and social segregation. Listening to such lyrics may have adverse effects on the mentality of the listeners. In most cases, those who listen to rap music end up being antisocial and very irritable in the society. The image created in their minds by the message in the music makes them develop ill feelings towards certain groups of people in the society (Herd 397). The effects of the influence of music may be short term or long lasting. This is especially true for the negative effects that music may have on the nature of an individual. Research has revealed that media violence may compel individuals to develop aggressive personalities on short term or long term basis, affecting their entire lives (Chen, Miller & Grube 3). Children are more susceptible to long term aggressiveness due to violent media and the same effect may be portrayed by youths in their early cognitive development stages. The problem with the violent music is that the listeners do not realize its effects on their behaviors immediately. It takes a third party to pinpoint the changes in the natural behaviors of the victims. Rap music and Hip hop music are associated with radical behavior in which the artists are free to say anything without caring. The two genres of music are known to contain explicit lyrics and video that sometimes reveals the true occurrences within the society. When some youths listen to hip hop and rap, they develop the personality of being outspoken (Herd 397). Such youths end up becoming the voices of the society at higher societal levels in future. Rap music generates a distinct form of courage among the youths who listen to it and they may use it for the wrong purposes. This often lands them in trouble with the law enforcers. Music changes the attitude of the listeners and it may even work on their self esteem. Listening to music with racial themes has changed the behavior of groups of youths from different ethnicities. Music is a very effective tool for spreading propaganda and hate messages. It has been used by rappers to spread hate messages about their ethnic counterparts, creating an evident boundary between the different ethnic groups in the society. As the number of youths listening to this bad music increases, there is looming threat of a complete split of the society in the future since the youths will grow with the hatred in them. This will not only alter the nature of the individuals but also the nature of the entire society (Chen, Miller & Grube 4). The themes in the lyrics of different genres of music are normally similar for a given period of time. Music producers develop the themes of their music from the issues and developments in the society. Music is a business industry that generates a lot of profit for those who are in it. While making music videos, the artists may choose settings that are a depicting a high social class life while they are actually struggling to make ends meet. This fictitious lifestyle has lured very many youths into changing the paths of their careers to pursue music. Ones they get into the music industry, they realize that the whole deal was staged and they end up ruining their future. Unlike the movies, music does not warn the viewers about the authenticity of the settings and lyrics (Chen, Miller & Grube 4). Over the years, music has evolved and so has the message in it. In the mid 20th century, hip hop and rap were associated with the African American youths who were advocating for changes in the society. During this time, the youths were sensitized about the need for change by the rappers who sang about the violence and hostility in the society. Rappers shunned violence and discrimination. As time passed by, the society changed for the better and now rap music has fully embraced violence and other vices like drug abuse. Youths who constantly watch rap and hip hop videos have a higher propensity to becoming drug abusers (Shore Para 2). There is also the aspect of female objectification in the rap music. Women are viewed as objects of sex by the rappers and even their music videos depict women as sex objects. This ideas broadcasted to the youths may alter their life values. Music may also have a positive effect on the listeners. Music with positive messages has been used to influence the youths to quit their evil ways. The youth stage in life comes along with many challenges. Music is a feasible tool that has been used to guide the youths through the challenging times. Most musicians base the message in their music on their personal past experiences and this serves as a motivational factor to the youths going through similar experiences. Music changes the mood of people and they may use it to sooth themselves when they are nervous or when they are exhausted. Psychologists have used music as a viable treatment for certain mental conditions on nervousness. The behavior of the youths may be altered for the better through music (Phillips-Silver 294). When used the right way, music can be used to make a positive difference not only among the youths but also in other age groups in the society. Most musicians are in the music business for the sole reason of profitability; hence they do not apply ethical values to their artistic work. Instead, they go beyond the moral limits to provoke the minds of the listeners and viewers to increase the market size of their music. The youths have been effectively brainwashed by such musicians and their good nature is being further altered by the increasing supply of bad music (Chen, Miller & Grube 3). Music and Memory Learning is an important process in the youth stage and it should be enhanced by any means at this critical cognitive development stage. Research has revealed that listening to certain types of music while in the learning process opens up the mind’s memory to retain more information. Youths who listen to Mozart’s and baroque music have higher information retention ability than those who listen to other music genres. Research indicates that these types of music affect the left and right parts of the brain in such a way that the listener is able to comprehend things faster and to remember information more effectively. For the youths with learning disabilities, music can alter their nature positively by enhancing their learning and memory retention abilities (O’Donnell Para 9). Findings from Dr. George Lozanov, a psychologist, reveal that music can be used as an effective learning tool if the message and the rhythm of the beat are harmonized to create a 60 beats per minute type of music. The psychologist’s research indicates that his students would be able to retain more information when they learnt through music. Educational music changes the youth’s line of thinking since through music; the retention of important information is enhanced. Research work done by psychologists in the University of North Texas revealed that through music, people are able to learn different languages faster and more efficiently. In the same capacity, the behavior of the youth in language use changes with changes in the type of music that they listen to. This means that the youths who listen to vulgar music, especially in the rap genre, are more likely to use vulgar language while communicating (O’Donnell Para 10). Students who listen to music more often perform better in their classes than their counterparts who do not listen to music at all. This may be attributed to the fact that music enhances the listening capabilities of the listeners. This is one of the advantages of listening to music for the youths. It enhances their listening skills, which are vital for fast learning in school. Those who need to enhance their listening and comprehension abilities should listen to music more often. Music may be prescribed to the youths who have difficulties in learning (O’Donnell Para 11). Conclusion Music is a very feasible avenue for influencing change in the society. The changes in the society are normally as a result of changes on individuals within the community. Different types of music have different effects on the listeners. This is because some types of music have messages that easily alter the way of thinking of the listeners. In the world today, musicians make music with themes that are controversial on ethical grounds. Violence is the order of the day in the music industries, particularly when focusing on hip hop and rap music. It has been proven that the human mind learns a lot through observation and perception. This means that when the youths who are the major target group for musicians, listen and watch violent music, they are highly likely to embrace violence in their personalities. Other vices that are spread through music include alcohol intake, drug abuse and sexual immorality. Music videos depict the musicians engaging in drugs abuse and law breaking activities like high speed chases with the police. They advocate for deviance among the youths. Those who watch the videos are lured into engaging in such activities for the thrill of it. Works Cited Bowling, Allen, C. and Darley, Suzanne. “Music and the Brain May be a Therapeutic Duet.” Momentum 2.4 (2009): 43-45. Print. Chen, M. J., Miller, B. A. and Grube, J. W. “Influence of Music on Youth Behaviors.” Brown University Child & Adolescent Behavior Letter 22.6 (2006): 3-4. Print. Herd, Denise. “Changing Images of Violence in Rap Music Lyrics: 1979-1997.” Journal of Public Health Policy 30.4 (2009): 395-406. Print. http://voices.yahoo.com/the-influence-rap-music-upon-youth-558094.html?cat=9 http://www.cerebromente.org.br/n15/mente/musica.html O’Donnell, Laurence. Music and the Brain. Cerebromente, 1999. Web. 5 December 2012. Phillips-Silver, J. “On the Meaning of Movement in Music, Development and the Brain.” Contemporary Music Review 28.3 (2009): 293-314. Print. Shore, Tara. The Influence of Rap Music upon Youth. Yahoo Voices, 2007. Web, 5 December 2012. Read More