The Effects of the Different Types of Music to

Men and Women: A Comparison

Martha Deniece G. Geronimo

University of the Philippines

Los Baños, Laguna

Professor Mabini DG. Dizon

9 March, 2010
 1

The Effects of the Different Types of Music to

Men and Women: A Comparison

Music is one of the foundations of our very being. It is a factor that shapes

people’s lives by cultivating the sense of hearing and making the people feel the

message it wants to convey. It brings out that which was residing in the deepest

and innermost part of the listener’s heart. As it was according to Maramontel, its

function is to please the refined ears through its sophisticated form and provoke

an emotional reaction through it, rather than portray human emotions as they

really were (Gouk, 2005).

There were many different types of music. The most known are the

classical music which is melodramatic in style; hip-hop music which will make a

person up to the beat; pop (popular) music which was a combination of other

types of music such as jazz, dance, soul, and many other; rap music which has a

rhyming lyrics associated by pattern of beats; and rock music which was usually

known as the loud and negative type of music, and which Wicke (1995)

described as a “mass medium through which cultural values and meanings

circulate, through which the soul experiences are passed on which reach far

beyond the material nature of the music” .

As time goes by, new types of music were released – like in the 80’s days

where the pop and the glam rock types dominated the scene; the 90’s where

thehip-hop and dance/techno type of songs hit the chart; or this generation
where rock, rap, and pop rose above all. These types of music can tell of the

generation

in which it was created, and how the people live their lives in those times. It

figures why Pratt (1968) attested that music expresses itself directly.

Music, being direct in expressing what it really is, “affects the hearer in a

certain specific manner and that effect is experienced, or at least may be

experienced by all hearers alike” (Schoen, 1999). It has also been the reason

why people use music to convey their thoughts, their minds, the circumstances

they have been going through, etc., for it is the only way to express what they

really feel, especially on times where they cannot find the right words to exclaim.

Just like those young boys and girls that are first to experience love; they have

not gain much confidence yet to tell the one they love how they feel so they tend

to use music as a medium, or even as something to motivate them in pursuing

the one they love.

There is a direct relationship between music and emotions. In 1967,

Seashore claimed that “the psychology of musical feeling hinges upon the

general psychology of feeling and emotion”, showing that the music a person has

been listening to has something to do with feeling experienced as she/he listen

to it. Seashore then added that musical feeling is aroused in balance to a certain

sensitiveness to objects – physical, mental, or ideal – which is also true with the

stronger feeling referring to emotions. A person with high sensitivity on these can

be easily affected by music and tends to vent through his emotions which results

in noticeable awkward expression.

 Usually, the kinds of music that affect the emotions are the classical, the

rap, and the rock ones but the feeling it provokes depends on the content of the

song. The main effect of music on one’s feelings are the sadness, love, and

longing which can be easily felt in words, melody, and tempo used; as well as joy

which finds expression in increased activity, caused by a music of greater speed;

and the rest that is produced by vocal music (Schoen, 1999). These motions

were actually called as the “musical emotions”. As Ferguson explains it, musical

emotion is “an emotion that is directly excited by the musical stuff itself”. As the

music begins, that particular emotion would eventually come up effortlessly.

Most of the time, it is the classical music that appeals to the dramatic side

of a person since it is often focused on the things that has a cherished meaning

to each listener, for example: a mother, home, sweetheart, children, or native

land – which, Schoen added, stirs up the feeling of love and longing. Women,

who are more expressive when it comes to these kinds of things, are those who

are usually into this kind of music. They wanted to feel those feelings through the

classical music because it touches and inspires them more. The message of the

song, together with the melody and tempo of the music, lets them relate their life

to it that they, most of the time, got emotional as they listen. On the other hand,

most men were not easily carried away by these emotions. They, then, were not

into this kind of music since men were stereotyped as tough individuals who

have strong personalities and therefore were not easily carried away by these.
 But, not all men were like that. An example is Levitin (2006) – a musician,

consultant of Steely Dan and Stevie Wonder, recording engineer, and cognitive

neuroscientist specializing in music perception and cognition who shared his

experience with this type of music:

When I’m at a wedding, it is not the sight of hope and love

of the bride and groom in front of their friends, family, their whole

life before them that makes my eyes tear up. It is when the music

begins that I start to cry. In a movie, when two people are at long

last reunited after some great ordeal, the music again pushes me

and my emotions over the sentimental edge.

Through his special talents in hearing, Levitin learned to appreciate this

type of music unlike other men. He had that love for music and that very love

lead him to what he is now.

One thing about emotions is that it lasts, and a long lasting emotion is

called mood. Mood is a mental or emotional state, and it was also affected by

music. Music presents the mood directly through the way in which the composer

put the tonal materials together to express the very essence of hearing mood –

the cheer fullness or the sadness of the music itself (Pratt, 1968). The mood the

music wants to convey truly affects the listener’s own mood because through it is

where the listener connects his/her experiences.

In 2003, Young claimed that music, inducing different moods, seems to

connect to three dimensions: pleasures – displeasures, arousal – non-arousal,

and dominance – submissiveness. Music can be a source of entertainment and

enjoyment, but it can also be a source of irritation and distress. It can be an

irritation when it becomes a noise and not music anymore. It distresses when it

comes in the wrong timing. Music is like a person; it cannot please everybody,

but if only it will come with nice motives, then the people will surely enjoy it.

One of the things that determine the music that men and women enjoy is

the “chill”. It is the shivery-tingly experience oftentimes caused by the songs the

people have personally selected, which also reflects the connection between

them. Women say that sad music more likely produce the chill. On the other

hand, men suggest that happy music is the cause of the chill (Panskepp, 2004).

It implies that women love the overwhelming, mellow-type of songs. They are the

people who want to nurture their inner side by expressing what they feel through

the melancholic-type of songs. Through these songs, they tend to experience

grief, longing, relief, calmness, peace, love, happiness, contentment, and many

other – and then found themselves happy for they were released to those

feelings. It also implies that, unlike the women, the men were more into the

happy, lively, enthusiastic kind of music. They are the people who want to keep

the alive spirit of each one, and the excitement in the air. Through this kind of

music, they tend to experience the rush that awakens their spirit and body that

eventually brings them to excitement and to the point that they are so hyper. It

makes them happy and helps for them to be in the mood. It helps especially to

those men who are already working for it set their moods for work up.
 On the basis of the kind of feeling the listener feels as he/she listens,

Seashore concluded that “we may … classify persons into characteristic types in

terms of affective responsiveness”. Through observing how they respond to

music, they can be classified as those who are sensitive to music and those who

are not. The sensitive ones, mostly women, are those who feel a great impact

once the music starts to play. On the other hand, those who are not sensitive to it,

mostly men, were those who are not having any kind of feeling once the music

played. It was like it was just nothing to them, just a music playing, that is all.

To those who are sensitive to music, the songs that bring them such

emotions mean something to them for it give them something that was not easy

to attain from simple things. It was the power of music. Just like what Fisk, et al.

stated, “through the emotions, it can have a cleansing effect on the mind, a

disturbing effect, a drowsy effect, an exciting effect … “. The emotions caused by

music have made a way for these things that often relieve or worse, distract a

sensitive listener.

Music now had an access to the soul of a person which was consist of the

emotion and mind. Through the emotions, the music now has a way in to the

mind which was responsible to the thoughts and feeling of a person. It can

therefore affect the mind, too.

Levitin (2006) once divulged that “we experience illusions in other ways in

music”. Illusions are flawed mental representations; something that people may

believe but the truth is it is false. The music, as it goes to the mind, creates such
things that were not actually true. It was like it was telling you about something to

believe in that can either be true or false. The mind is the creative part of a

human. It is where dreams, fantasies, and imaginations were made. The music

then “helps” the mind for imagining things easily through its rhythm, melody, and

lyrics. Imaginations, dreams, and the likes were now being created and some

people who do not know this power of music often believe the things their mind

was telling them. They were not even able to think rationally and evaluate

whether if that will bring them any good or not.

Oftentimes, rock music causes illusions that will never bring you any

good. Rock music can affect negatively the mental framework of its listeners

unconsciously due to a phenomenon that is similar to hypnosis called the “nerve

jamming” through the glum message expressed by the majority of music bands.

This has been the reason why a 16-year-old boy in Texas, USA – who was put in

a dazed-like state while listening to rock music – unconsciously, murdered his

aunt. Its overt lyrics actuate violence among youth that most youngsters who

were attracted to it became murderers and antagonists (Adonais, 2008). The

contents of most of the rocks songs were promoting violence and immorality

which can brain-wash a listener who always take up things and not think about it

critically.

Most rock lovers are men whom you will usually see everywhere looking

like a rocker, wearing black shirt and any black stuff. There were also women

who are rockers but most of those women do not act like true women anymore.
When you will really base it on how those rocker lover looks and acts like, you

will really say that rock music creates a bad illusion that poisons an individual’s

mind.

Despite of the rock music causing bad effects to the mind, there were still

types of music that brings benefit to the people listening to it. Those were the

classical, acoustic, country music that creates good imaginations like the picture

of the field, the nice breeze of the air, and the likes which brings relaxation and

peace of mind to the listener. This was due to the lyrics that those types of songs

contain. It promotes good aura that creates beautiful outcome to anyone.

Fortunate are those who are into this kind of music, who are mostly women, for

they will gain a healthy mind and life style.

Such type of music can even be used for healing. Merriam (1964), an

ethnomusicologist, revealed that music can be used in both physical and mental

disturbance as how the Hebrews did, just like in I Samuel 16:23 where it was

said that Saul was freed from the evil spirit through music. It was said there that

David played the lyre and that refreshed Saul, and the evil spirit departed then.

Truly, there was music from God that makes all things good.

From the soul, the music now affects the body. Music also affects the

physiological part of a person. It can be a help to the human body, like how

Diserens views it. He found out that music reduces or delays body fatigue,

speeds up voluntary activities, increases body metabolism, increases the extent

of muscular reflexes employed in writing and drawing, and many more

(Merriam,1964). It can also increase metabolism and increase or decrease of

muscular energy. All of these are caused by certain types of music and it all

applies to men and women.

One of the types of music that causes much effect was the exciting type of

music. Exciting music, such as dance music can lead to an increase in arousal,

on contrary to soothing music (Young, 2003). Music excites the listener; greater

beats and faster tempo excites the listener more. Due to the great beats and

tempo of exciting music, the inner desire of the listener livens up and then leads

to arousal.

Another thing affected by exciting music is the breathing. In 2007, Ellis

claimed that exciting music, such as military marches, accelerates the breathing

than sad melodies do. Again, the beats of the military march makes the listener

excited. As the person gets excited, his heart palpitates more than usual and that

causes the acceleration in breathing.

On contrast of what exciting music can do, the soothing ones, more likely

to be classical, also affects the listener in such a relieving way. Those types of

music can actually reduce stress and tension. Its relaxing and soothing sound

helps the listener to rest and be free from the problems causing the stress. It was

even used on a field of health care called the music therapy wherein music,

particularly the soothing one, was used for making the listeners relax, manage

stress, and heal.

 There has been a study on what music affects the physiological body of

the listener more. Binet and Courtier made a series of experiment on the action

of music on the physiological body on a single subject: a man very sensitive to

music. As a result, they found that the piece which had the most influence in his

emotions created the most profound physiological effects (Ellis, 2007). It just

shows that the connection of the emotion to the physiological body. What

appeals more to the emotion causes much effect to the physiology of the listener.

What affects the physiology of a person can also affect the way how that

person lives. The physiological effects caused by music can be lived out by the

person and that affects his/her life style. An example is a person relaxed by the

music. That person, since relaxed, has a good mood and good mood leads to

good perception of life. Good and right perception of life leads to nice and better

life style.

A person who is really into the classical music usually lives a life that was

clean, careful, modest and safe. That person has a simple usually has a simple

life style, just like the classical music – simple yet momentous. On the other

hand, a person who is into rap music, usually a man, lives a life like a rapper

does. In fact, “some kids who like rap talk like rappers, dress like rappers, eat

like rappers, and treat women like rappers treat women” (Chiacchieri, 2005).

They live a life according to how their idol for certain music does.

Those kinds of people live the kind of life their idol has because they

believe that expressing yourself the way musicians did will bring much clarity on
how you want to be viewed as a person (Chiacchieri, 2005). They express their

selves through it that all the other fans who were also much into their idol

musician also did the same. This applies to both men and women and at this

present time, they are so many. That now results to stereotyping.

An example of which is a person, let’s say a guy, who is much into punk

music. Chiacchieri attested that “when you see a person with a punk-type

clothing, you automatically think, ‘Boy, what punks’, or, if you’re a punk

yourself, ‘ROCK ON!’ ”. It shows that being a punk can be certainly confirmed by

only seeing how the person dressed, but in any way, this person was proud that

he was a punk for it is how he expresses his self.

The people who have the same idol and living a same life style often are

those whom you will see that were together always, just like the saying, “birds of

10

the same feather, flock together”. Through their life style, music was able to

affect their social lives. Just like how Schroeder (1966) views it: “music truly

became an expression of certain social and national groups, and attracted the

attention of people in all walks of life”.

Music, though creates bonds of people, still has its bad effects on the

social lives of many people, just like the rock music. According to Adonais

(2008), “majority of modern rock songs are antagonistic, encouraging violence

against women”. Most of the rock songs overtly promote the violence and that

was offensive for the women’s part.

Other example of the bad effect of rock music was the incident Adonais

has revealed:
 On April 20, 1999, two teenagers killed 12 of their peers,

a teacher, and themselves at Columbine High School in Littleton,

Colo. The Littleton killers idolized show-rocker Marilyn Monson.

The fact of these and other instances of youth violence parallel

the music these boys consumed. Monsoon dwells on revenge and

violence against the object of his hatred. In one song, he says – he

will shoot the next bully who bothers him –.

This shows that the social life of those boys was brought into no good by

the music that they were into. Their bad experience at school plus the motivation

of Monson’s song has destroyed their lives.

This can be explained by Wicke (1995). He attested that for the listeners,

the ‘contents’ of rock songs form the way which they make active use through

11

incorporating it with their lives, and use as symbols to reveal their own

experiences and influence reality.

Music does influence people. It affects people from the inside out – from

the soul (emotion, mood, mind) to the body, and then to the society. It influences

men and women in somehow different way. It has its good and bad effects on

them but still, music will be one of the things that will surely last a forever.
References:

A. Books

Ellis, H. 2007. Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Vol. IV. BiblioBazaar , LLC. pp.
136-137.

Fisk, J., Nichols, J. W. 1997. Composers on Music: Eight Centuries of Writings.

2nd Edition, UPNE. 337.

Gouk, P., & Hills, H. 2005. Representing Emotions: New Connections in the
Histories of Art, Music, and Medicine. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.179,
181.

Levitin, D. J. 2006. This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of Human

Obsession. Dutton. 104, 109.
Merriam, A. P. 1964. The Anthropology of Music. Vol. XI of Northwestern
University African Studies. Northwestern University Press. 111, 112-
113.

Panskepp, J. 2004. Affective Neuroscience: The Foundation of Human and

Animal Emotions. Vol. IV of series in Effective Science. Oxford
University Press US. 298.

Prat, C. C. 1968. The Meaning of Music: A Study in Psychological Aesthetics.

New York & London: Johnson Reprint Corporation. v-vi, 217.

Schoen, M. 1999. The Effects of Music: A Series of Essays. Vol. XVIII of

International Library of Psychology. Routledge. 98, 163.

Schroeder, I. 1966. Listener’s Handbook: A Guide to Music Appreciation. Ames:

The Iowa State University Press. 91.

Seashore, C. E. (1967). Psychology of Music. Courier Dover Publications. pp.

178-179, 189.

Wicke, P. (1995). Rock Music: Culture, Aesthetic and Sociology (2nd ed.).
Cambridge University Press. ix.

B. Internet

Adonais. 2008, September 22. The Negative Effects of Rock Music on Youth.
Retrieved January 3, 2010, from http://www.saching.com/Article/The-
negative-effect-of-rock-music-on-youth/631

Chiacchieri, G. 2005, March 8. Music’s Effect on People and Culture. Retrieved

December 11, 2009, from http://glench.com/articles/musics-effects-
on-people-and-culture.html
Young, G. (2003, July 31). Effects of Music on Task Performance. Retrieved
December 11, 2009, from http://jclauson.com/
msqa/term_papers/ effects_of_music_on_task_performance.pdf

Martha Deniece G. Geronimo

2009-27855

THE EFFECTS OF THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MUSIC

TO MEN AND WOMEN: A COMPARISON

THESIS STATEMENT
Music has different effects on men and women when it comes to
emotions, mood, and mind but have similar effects on the physiological body and
social life.

OUTLINE
I. Definition of music
II. Effects of music on men and women
A. Music affecting the emotions
1. Relation of music to emotion
 2. Types music that affect the emotions
3. Effects of music to the mood
4. “Chill” of music
5. Classification of people based on the feeling
B. Music affecting the mind
1. Illusions in music
2. Bad effects of music on the mind
3. Good effects of music on the mind
C. Music affecting people physiologically
1. Effects of the exciting type of music
2. Effects of the soothing type of music
D. Music affecting one’s social life
1. Lifestyle that is after the life of one’s idol
2. Stereotyping
3. Bad effects of rock music to one’s social life

WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY

Adonais. 2008, September 22. The Negative Effects of Rock Music on Youth.
Retrieved January 3, 2010, from http://www.saching.com/Article/The-
negative-effect-of-rock-music-on-youth/631

Chiacchieri, G. 2005, March 8. Music’s Effect on People and Culture. Retrieved

December 11, 2009, from http://glench.com/articles/musics-effects-
on-people-and-culture.html

Ellis, H. 2007. Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Vol. IV. BiblioBazaar , LLC. pp.
136-137.

Ferguson, D. N. 1969. The Why of Music. University of Minnesota Press. 293.

Fisk, J., Nichols, J. W. 1997. Composers on Music: Eight Centuries of Writings.
2nd Edition, UPNE. 337.

Gouk, P., & Hills, H. 2005. Representing Emotions: New Connections in the
Histories of Art, Music, and Medicine. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.179,
181.

Levitin, D. J. 2006. This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of Human

Obsession. Dutton. 104, 109.

Merriam, A. P. 1964. The Anthropology of Music. Vol. XI of Northwestern

University African Studies. Northwestern University Press. 111, 112-
113.

Panskepp, J. 2004. Affective Neuroscience: The Foundation of Human and

Animal Emotions. Vol. IV of series in Effective Science. Oxford
University Press US. 298.

Prat, C. C. 1968. The Meaning of Music: A Study in Psychological Aesthetics.

New York & London: Johnson Reprint Corporation. v-vi, 217.

Schoen, M. 1999. The Effects of Music: A Series of Essays. Vol. XVIII of

International Library of Psychology. Routledge. 98, 163.

Schroeder, I. 1966. Listener’s Handbook: A Guide to Music Appreciation. Ames:

The Iowa State University Press. 91.

Seashore, C. E. (1967). Psychology of Music. Courier Dover Publications. pp.

178-179, 189.

Wicke, P. (1995). Rock Music: Culture, Aesthetic and Sociology (2nd ed.).
Cambridge University Press. ix.
Young, G. (2003, July 31). Effects of Music on Task Performance. Retrieved
December 11, 2009, from http://jclauson.com/
msqa/term_papers/ effects_of_music_on_task_performance.pdf

The Native American population was decimated after contact with the
Old World due to the introduction of many different fatal diseases.[8] There
are two documented cases of alleged and attempted germ warfare. The first,
during a parley at Fort Pitt on June 24, 1763, Ecuyer gave representatives of the
besieging Delawares two blankets and a handkerchief that had been exposed to
smallpox, hoping to spread the disease to the Natives in order to end the siege.[9]
William Trent, the militia commander, left records that clearly indicated that the
purpose of giving the blankets was "to Convey the Smallpox to the Indians."[10]

British commander Lord Jeffrey Amherst and Swiss-British officer Colonel

Henry Bouquet, whose correspondence referenced the idea of giving smallpox-
infected blankets to Indians in the course of Pontiac's Rebellion. Historian
Francis Parkman verifies four letters from June 29, July 13, 16 and 26th, 1763.
Excerpts: Commander Lord Jeffrey Amherst writes July 16, 1763, "P.S. You
will Do well to try to Inocculate the Indians by means of Blankets, as well as
to try Every other method that can serve to Extirpate this Execrable Race. I
should be very glad your Scheme for Hunting them Down by Dogs could take
Effect,..." Colonel Henry Bouquet replies July 26, 1763, "I received yesterday
your Excellency's letters of 16th with their Inclosures. The signal for Indian
Messengers, and all your directions will be observed."[11]

While the intent for biological warfare is clear, there is a debate among
historians as to whether this actually took place despite Bouquet's affirmative
reply to Amherst and each having written to the other about it twice. Smallpox
transmitted to Native American tribes could have been due to the transfer of
the disease to blankets during transportation. Historians have been unable to
establish whether or not this plan was implemented, particularly in light of the fact
that smallpox was already present in the region, and that scientific knowledge of
disease at that time had yet to discover bacteria or develop an understanding of
plague vectors.

Regardless of whether this plan was carried out, trade and combat
provided ample opportunity for transmission of the disease. See also: Small pox
during Pontiac's Rebellion.

The roots of diseases that killed millions of indigenous peoples in the

Americas can be traced back to Eurasians living for millennia in close proximity
with domesticated animals. Without long contact with domesticated animals,
indigenous Americans had no resistance to plague, measles, tuberculosis,
smallpox or most influenza strains.[citation needed]