How Music Can Make You a Better Person | HuffPost Contributor

Can listening to music change your behavior for the better?

BY SUMMER ALLEN , The Greater Good Science Center

Read more articles like this on Greater Good

People in the United States spend an average of 32 hours listening to music each week, an increase of five and a half hours over last year. Thats a lot of timemore than ever before. Has this influenced your behavior or the behavior of those around you? Some people certainly think it can have a negative impactremember Tipper Gores crusade against swear words and the indecent liberties some entertainers take with [our] children? However, studies have also explored possible relationships between music and positive social behaviors.

In particular, research suggests that three aspects of musicits emotional resonance, its lyrical content, and its unique way of synchronizing groups of peoplemay have the power to invoke good deeds. Heres a list of the research-tested ways music can have a positive impact on you and your world.

1. Listening to uplifting music may make you happierand possibly more generous

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