Precisely regulate your emotions…with music

First, a correction. A few weeks ago, I introduced the emotion wheel to you in a newsletter (link). Since then, some of my readers have alerted me that the source I had linked was of a questionable nature. I apologize and I should have caught it. I have updated thesourcesince.

This corrective action and accompanying research had a bonus effect. I came across a fascinating little use case for the emotion wheel:

The Choice of Music <> Emotions

🎶 Music and emotions are deeply connected for many of us.

But there is a problem with that connection.

In an effort to find help with negative emotions, many people make a crucial mistake:

They choose music based on how they CURRENTLY feel, believing it makes them feel better.

The problem?

I most cases, this just amplifies what is there. When you are sad, you will likely get sadder. When you are angry, you will get angrier.

There is a simple alternative to try:

💡Pick music that reflects the emotion that you WANT to feel.

It may be weird to feel sad and to choose excited and joyful music, for example. However, it takes advantage of that almost inescapable way how music influences our emotions in a very directl way. Btw, according to research, music can trigger 13 kinds of emotions (link)!

So here’s a tip:

1️⃣ Use the attached positive emotion circle to identify the emotion that you actually WANT to feel.

2️⃣ Then head into your music app of choice and search for a playlist dedicated to that emotion. You will likely be successful. It’s super easy in Spotify, for example (unless you pick something obscure).

3️⃣ Plug in and give it a chance! It may just take 10-20min for an emotion change to emerge in you!

How do you experience the connection between emotions and music?

Do you have tips for a playlist?

Shoot me a reply in the comments with some tunes! 😀