The consumption of music is one of the most popular modern-day activities, and it has become ubiquitous in people’s everyday lives. As a result of this, modern-day listeners of music are far more proactive in the way in which they digest the content. Rather than just passive listening, they absorb the lyrics and melodies in a way in which they can relate to and empathise with. Moreover, music and the lyrics can reflect a range of personal issues surrounding identity, dependence, independence, separateness, connectedness, values, and perception of the self.
The functions of music that are so enticing to humans consist of emotional expression, aesthetic enjoyment and entertainment, communication, and symbolic representation. The symbolic representation refers to the transmission of extra-musical information such as narratives, values, or ideals, and this representational or symbolic function involves the social construction of musical within particular contexts.
Ultimately, we as a society listen to music and create images in our heads, bringing meaning to the melodies and lyrics. Sometimes, we even accredit these meanings to something that may be totally irrelevant to the respective song’s intended meanings, but it provides some sort of sentimental meaning to individuals. So, does this mean that we should be more careful with the music that we listen to, and the potential impact it poses on our personal lives?
This is where the notion of manifestation comes to light. Manifestation is the concept of bringing something tangible into your life through attraction and belief, i.e. if you think it, it will come. So what does this mean for music? When you consider how active society is in terms of engaging with the content, perhaps there should be a slight amount of caution over the messages that certain music presents itself to the individual.
If you are listening to music that makes you feel empowered and motivated, chances are your thoughts are going to be positive and full of ambition and excitement. If you are listening to a song that makes you feel hopeless and sad, your thoughts will align with those negative feelings, leaving you unlikely to manifest any positive desires and wishes for your future. Musical theorists Baker and Bor further this concept by stating: “Music can trigger the activation of aggressive thoughts, emotions, expectations, and memories, and weaken inhibitions against aggressive behaviours.”
Obviously, context is needed for this, by simply listening to a Marilyn Manson or Limp Bizkit song does not necessarily mean you are going to act upon the messages conveyed in their lyrics, but it certainly is food for thought.
Music is an incredible medium to assist with the mindset shifts needed to put you on a positive track of manifestation practice. This is by no means suggesting that all you should ever do is solely listen to positive music with lyrics that are proven to boost your state of manifestation, but there are definite correlation’s between ones mood and the genre of music you listen to.
