If you’ve ever been to a great concert, you know the feeling. A warm, calming feeling envelops your body as you and the hundreds if not thousands of people surrounding you sing along with one of your favorite artists to their biggest hit. Being there in a moment like that can feel dream-like.
And, according to recent studies, if you make a habit out of attending concerts you’ll be happier for it. New research gathered and written by Melissa K. Weinberg and Dawn Joseph and released by Sage Journals indicates as such.
Weinberg and Joseph’s studies saw them analyzing the link between “habitual music enjoyment and subjective well-being.” The latter subject is otherwise known as SWB.
Most studies relating to music and well-being were performed in the name of clinical research, such as in the positive links between dementia patients and their favorite tunes. This one, though, is laser-focused on that good feeling that so many of us concert-goers have felt over the years.
To conduct their study, Weinberg and Joseph surveyed 1,000 random participants over the phone on their engagement with music. Their findings were clear–those “engaging with music by dancing or attending musical events was associated with higher SWB” than those who don’t. It seems like those who attend concerts and really get involved with the company of others
It seems like those who attend concerts and really get involved with the company of others are the best off here. There’s a distinct interpersonal quality to concert-goers communing with one another through music that the study focuses on. That’s what really keeps our mood up long after the show’s over.
For those who haven’t had the opportunity to head out to concerts, though, don’t you worry! According to other studies, the act of listening music to itself keeps you happier. So whether you’re seeing Garth Brooks live and on-stage or jamming to Margo Price’s latest in the car, your mood’s all the better for it.
