Does Music Influence People?

[Insanity]

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That's your own choice, not the singers'.
That's all that I have to say.

[Niverdia]

I don't really think that music can influence what kind of a person you become, though it can bring up to surface some emotions/trails of thought you've already had, and it can influence your mood. Personally, I know that there are some bands whose work I can listen neutrally on a baseline normal/happy/angry mood, but can't stand when I'm sad/upset about specific things.

I'm generally not ashamed about my music taste, or, rather the range of genres I listen to... though I've had situations when I don't want to tell a very classy person that I listen to JPop when I draw, instead of classic music etc. I find it somewhat shallow how someone can judge a person solely from what they listen to. Some time ago I had one guy starting to write me about metal music, because he read somewhere that I like Nightwish, about how deep the texts are. Then I mentioned that it's hardly the only genre that I listen to and that good, relatively soft music can have just as much meaning and momentum as metal in his opinion. I never got a single note from him again. How droll.

[audioburst]

Mmmm. I'm kind of going to go off topic here, but I think that authority figures [or so we think] can also influence the kind of music we're fond of or listen to often. Like, I used to like be really annoyed when one of my friends would talk about Korean music, but then I started listening to it and realized I liked it. Which is kind of weird, because I'm the kind of person who doesn't like anything she doesn't understand. Just saying. xP

Doesn't it make sense, though? Some psychology there. All I know is that authority figures can change minds/alter thought processes... I've experienced that a lot, even with people I don't even particularly like.

Back to the original idea... I think that music does affect the way you act, but listening to heavy metal or rap isn't going to turn you into a murderer or anything. It could put some ideas into your head, like, "Oh, I guess it's okay to act out of anger, I mean, that guy who sang that song did..." kind of thing, but it probably couldn't turn you around 180 unless you found some real conviction from it [either good or bad... can you be convicted to like, go gangster? O_O].

[Emily]

I believe that music can influence people. Maybe inspiring would fit better, because it plants ideas in people's heads. People have been taking it to extremes as examples, but if you think about it, it's like reading magazines and books. If you read or see people wearing a bunch of short skirts, wouldn't you want to be in style and wear a short skirt too? Of course, that isn't a music example but it shows how it works. If there's songs about a guy being a player all the time and the girls are all over him, wouldn't a guy want to be a player so the guys would be all over him too? It plants the idea and it begins to grow.

Listening to metal and things definitely won't turn you into a murderer, and everybody always acts like it's the genre of the music that labels what the music is like. There's Christian metal music, and is that bad? Well, nobody would think that's bad because it has the immediate label of 'Christian music'. It really matters on the content of the song, not the genre.

The content is the actual thing that inspires or influences. It's what sparks the idea, the interest. Sure, it doesn't happen with everybody but it does happen with some people. It's like when you're a child, you learn from your surroundings. You learned your words from the words your parents used and what you heard around you. It's the same with music, if in all this music it sounds like everybody is doing this one thing then you might want to be included too. Of course, it's not guaranteed that there with be action on the thoughts, but it could happen. It's the same with your friends around you, your friends kind of rub off on you sometimes and your music might too.

[DreamingOfIslands]

I think how good or bad music is for you all depends on how you listen. My friends tease me for listening to a lot of grunge and postgrunge (notorious for depressing lyrics, apparently) but it makes me happy. I'm not one to listen especially hard for lyrical meaning- it's more about the way the lyrics sound than what they mean to me, if that makes sense. I love Blue October's X Amount of Words. Do I know what the hell it's about? No. But the rhythmic lyrics and internal rhymes are just amaaaazzzzing The words in the song were obviously chosen, but I think with the intent of making the song sound better rather than putting some meaning across. In this way, I believe that music's influence on you is not only dependent on what you listen to but again how you listen to it. I'm not going to get depressed by listening to Staind or more angsty by listening to Nirvana. Would you? Damned if I know.

[Pshawraven]

This is an interesting question to me, though I'll state up front I do think what you listen to *can* influence what kind of person you are or become. And I have fairly wide ranging tastes, which I'll make fun of myself for shortly.

The starting question specified rap. Some rap is quite good. I love the old Sugar Hill stuff and made some "throwback" mixes to listen to riding around in the truck - stuff like old Coolio and A Tribe Called Quest. But some of the rap out there seems downright toxic to me when I hear the lyrics. I think that there is only so much murder, dealing, and slapping women around that a person can absorb before it begins to affect their mind. But I believe the same is true with TV programs and how much violence you can watch.

So, short answer - yes I think it can influence you.

My parents believed the same thing I do, but even though I was growing up in the 1980's they did not want me listening to rock of any kind. My father listened to country and my mother only classical. They were pretty upset when I got into The Beatles because (and they said this,) it was devil-worshiping music. Considering their own childhoods and teen years, and the very conservative area we lived in, I can see now why they would think that way. But listening instead of a Satanist I turned into a hippie. Go figure!

I also enjoy Bob Dylan. Dylan songs are ... obtuse to say the least. Dylan fans LOVE trying to decipher his stuff. So if anything, that would make a person prone to looking for secret messages. Paul is dead? Washington D.C. was built by the Illuminati? Uh, maybe not, but LOL. I read an interview with him a few years ago in which he basically said that his lyrics "meant" nothing. He puts words together because he likes how they sound.

[SaxonDarkAngel]

Well, I dont think that music really affects who you are. You listen to the type of music that describes you. You dont describe the type of music you listen to.

So, I want to know, what's you're opinion on music?
I think music is very important. All types. It can pass along stories, tell you about the era it is from, release anxiety, let you express yourself in a creative way, and help make everything more fun.
Does it truly influence people?
Probably certain types of music can desensitize people to certain things (sex, violence, theft) and trivialize it, but I dont think it really changes how you think or anything.
Is it bad?
No, music is not bad. Certain music can be BAD (as in, just horrible to listen to) to certain individuals, but its not bad overall.

Personally, I listen to what is considered pop. Kesha, Lady Gaga, Avril Lavigne, Maroon 5, Linkin Park, Britney Spears, and whatever else is on my iPod and the radio. I also listen to a bit of Rock, and traditional music, as well as whatever music the school band plays (which I am a part of, Trumpet), but only at school. Basically; Happy Music.

now, my personality..... Im a loner. I have like, maybe 10 friends I text, and I only talk to certain people at my school, maybe 100 in all. I occasionally cut myself, and I typically wear black or a dark color. Sometimes I wear BRIGHT colors. My hair is longish, and almost black. I have light brown eyes.
And I also dont smile very much.

So, no. Personality is probably not affected by music. If it was, I would be a happy person.

[Blackwidow]

My opinion on music...I listen to music depending on what the song means. I listen to music depending on my mood. Although, I listen to MJ frequently, I really truly just listen to them to hear his voice, and dance to the groove. Then, at other times, I listen to Lady Gaga because of what the song portrays. Like Born This Way. I love what that says. I also listen to Angel by Sarah Machlachlin. I don't want anything to do with the artist, but I love the song and what it means. I also listen to Bon Jovi, but mainly because I like the song and what it means. Also, I listen to Three Days Grace. I have the slightest clue about the band, but I like Break. The same goes for Skillet, and their song, Hero.

This is my opinion on music. (Also what music I listen to and why.)

[AssassinsCreed]

Music can inspire people to many different things...it can get the mood change but I dont belive the music can be the reason why some people are killing someone else...
It is just a cheap exuse for why someone have killed other person. Music does not affect a person like that and change someone into a cold murderer.

Sometimes trough it is easier to blame something like music (or games but that is totally different thing...) than to take the responsibility for something you did. That is probably the lowest thing a human can do but it happens.

The music can make you cry,it can make you happy or sad but it can definetly NOT make you kill or hurt someone.


I myself love soundtracks from Silent Hill...but it does not make me to a crazy monster

[ryer]

Music doesn't affect people; people affect what music they listen to. People with a lot of repressed aggression would be drawn to music with aggressive feelings and lyrics, as introspective people might be drawn to melodious, lyrical and complex music. I know many people dismiss this as "stereotypes" but I've found in real life that people's past experiences and personality traits do have a strong link to what kind of music they like.

Music relieves the repressed feelings in a person (depression, anger, loneliness or even hyperness) because listening to music itself is a form of expression (yes, brain scans have supported this). Instead of actually going out on a shooting spree, the individual chooses to listen to the song that screams about going on shooting sprees. Music is a form of coping. That said, listening to music doesn't solve all those feelings down under, and some may blow up and do dangerous things, but this is DESPITE the music and not BECAUSE of it.

Younger or more unstable kids (especially tweens/teens) could be influenced and pressured to listen to certain music and that music indirectly implies to them that having parties, getting drunk, killing people, suicide etc is acceptable or even glorious. This is a very minor effect though compared with the effect of the Internet or the media, and would only push over people who would have done it anyway. Compared with the vast positive aspects of music (simple enjoyment, relief, filling), it's really insignificant.

Conclusion: Music is good.