“Without music, life would be a mistake,” said Friedrich Nietzsche. Now, thanks to the research of psychologists, we can add: music can help us avoid mistakes. For example, during an interview for a new position.
It is known that confident behavior at crucial moments compensates for the lack of education and even special skills and abilities. But anxiety and fear can undermine self-confidence and ultimately cause failure. When positive thoughts and motivating exercises are not enough, “dopes” come to the rescue, which directly affect our feelings. No, we are not talking about any special substances. Confidence can be turned on with appropriate music. This is evidenced by the results of research by psychologists at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University (USA)*.
They invited volunteers to listen to several musical compositions of different genres and describe their feelings. Then the researchers identified among the compositions those that gave the listeners strength and a sense of confidence. The list of “powerful” songs included rock hits (such as “We will rock you” by Queen), energetic dance songs (“Get read for this” by 2 Unlimited) and rap songs (“In the club” by 50 Cent ).
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Another group was asked to answer the question: if they had to negotiate now to promote their project, are they ready to speak first? Those who had previously listened to songs from the list of “powerful” volunteered to perform almost twice as often as those who got other records.
What is the reason for this stimulating effect? According to the authors of the study, the main thing that causes a feeling of confidence is a powerful bass line. This element turned out to be common to all songs that give confidence. Some listeners have bluntly stated that the bass riffs fill them with power and confidence. “Perhaps it’s because we associate deep low sounds with both calmness and a sense of power,” explains Derek Rucker, professor of marketing at the Kellogg School. People with a deep voice are perceived as having more power and strength. Remember Darth Vader (the hero of the Star Wars movie saga, who spoke using a voice box inside a black mask). His deep, deep voice has made him one of the most recognizable villains in film history. When he spoke, we immediately understood: this type should not be underestimated.
* Social Psychological and Personality Science, online publication dated August 5, 2014, spp.sagepub.com