Abstract

This project explores the types of music, specifically individual songs or musical pieces, that most significantly contribute to the sense of happiness among the Spring 2025 student body at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. I conducted surveys in two phases to gather demographic information, students' self-assessments of their happiness while listening to a set of songs, and qualitative data on what factors contribute to a song’s perceived happiness. In the first phase of surveying, respondents shared songs that made them feel happy, and based on these results, I selected seven songs that best represented the collective data to use in the second survey. In the second phase, respondents listened to the selected songs and self-assessed their levels of happiness before and after listening to each song. Findings indicate that pop music is most strongly associated with happiness, with rock, hip-hop, and other groove-based types of music following closely behind. The majority of the chosen songs were upbeat and in a major key, which aligns with common perceptions of happy music. Also in the second phase survey, students were asked two open-ended questions following the survey surrounding their thoughts on music and happiness. It was noted that most students did not need the lyrics of the song or the sound of the song to have a happy intent, as long as the song had something that gave it a happy feeling to the listener. The results of this study can serve as the foundation for future research into how different musical genres and specific tracks can influence emotional well-being. By examining the relationship between music and happiness, we aim to better understand the role music plays in shaping the emotional experiences of the campus community. These findings also contribute to broader conversations about the psychological effects of music in general, especially among this age demographic.

How to Cite