Category: Music

Does the Type of Music Influence How Much We Spend at Restaurants?

By Brad Bell

Music can be soothing and make us feel happy.  But does music influence how much we spend at restaurants?  This is one of the important questions concerning the possible effects of music. North, Shilcock, and Hargreaves (2003) investigated the influence of the type music on spending behavior at a restaurant.  The participants were customers at a restaurant, and they did not know that they were in an experiment.  Each participant at the restaurant listened to either classical music, pop music, or no music.  They found that the mean total amount of money spent at the restaurant was greater for people who listened to classical music than for people who listened to pop music or no music.  The difference between the pop music group and the no music group was not statistically significant with respect to the mean total amount of money spent at the restaurant.(1)  One of the explanations they provided for the findings involved the idea that classical music fosters an upmarket (upscale) atmosphere.

Notes

1.  The analyses comparing the groups controlled for the amount of time spent in the restaurant.  See their article for other findings.

References

North, A. C., Shilcock, A., & Hargreaves, D.J. (2003).  The effect of
musical style on restaurant customers’ spending.  Environment and   
Behavior, 35, 712-718.

How Are Music Preferences Related to Personality?

By Brad Bell

Imagine that you have a friend who is highly extraverted and imaginative.  Would these personality characteristics be related to your friend’s music preferences?

In two of their studies, Rentfrow and Gosling (2003) investigated relations between music preferences and personality.   There were four categories of music preferences.  These can be viewed as four types of music.  These were labeled Intense and Rebellious (e.g., rock), Reflective and Complex (e.g., jazz), Upbeat and Conventional (e.g., country), and Energetic and Rhythmic (e.g., electronica/dance).  Five of the personality dimensions included in their studies were extraversion (e.g., how sociable you are), conscientiousness, openness to experience (e.g., how imaginative you are), agreeableness (e.g., how cooperative you are), and emotional stability. (1) In both studies, a greater preference for Reflective and Complex music was associated with greater openness to experience.  Moreover, in both studies, a greater preference for Intense and Rebellious music and was associated with greater openness to experience.   Also, in both studies, a greater preference for Upbeat and Conventional music was associated with greater extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness.   In contrast, in both studies, a greater preference for Upbeat and Conventional music was associated with less openness to experience.   In both studies, a greater preference for Energetic and Rhythmic music was associated with greater extraversion and agreeableness. (2)   

These findings suggest that we may be able to predict a person’s personality from their music preferences.  It is possible that a person’s personality may determine the type of music he or she listens to.  For example, a highly extraverted person may choose to listen to music that is energetic. Moreover, a person who is high in openness to experience may choose to listen to music that is complex.   However, because these findings are correlational, we cannot make causal conclusions.

Notes

1.   See their article for information about other measures in the studies.
2.   These are only some of the significant correlations found between music preferences and personality.  See their article for information on other findings.

References

Rentfrow, P. J., & Gosling, S. D.  (2003).  The do, re, mi’s of everyday life: The structure and personality correlates of music preferences.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 1236-1256.

Can Listening to Songs with Prosocial Lyrics Influence Donating Behavior?

By Brad Bell

Music is an important part of our lives.  Many people spend a considerable amount of time listening to music.  Listening to music may be beneficial in a number of ways.  One of the ways that it may be beneficial is by increasing helping behavior.  Could listening to songs with prosocial lyrics increase the number of people who make a charitable donation?  In Greitemeyer’s third study (2009), participants listened to songs with prosocial lyrics or songs with neutral lyrics.  Greitemeyer found that the percentage making a donation to a nonprofit was greater for people who listened to songs with prosocial lyrics than for people who listened to neutral lyrics. (1)  Greitemeyer’s finding concerning the influence of listening to songs with prosocial lyrics can be considered one of the possible positive effects of music, and may have important practical implications.  To increase donations, music with prosocial lyrics could be played at fundraising events.  This could be considered a creative fundraising idea.

Notes

1.  See the article for other findings.

References

Greitemeyer, T.  (2009).  Effects of songs with prosocial lyrics on prosocial thoughts, affect, and behavior.  Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45, 186-190.

Can Soothing Music Increase Helping?

By Brad Bell

You have been listening to soothing music while reading a book.  You go to answer the phone.  It is a volunteer who is asking you to donate to a nonprofit. You are feeling happy and relaxed.  You agree to donate 10 dollars to the organization.  Did listening to the soothing music influence your decision to donate to the organization?

Fried and Berkowitz (1979) investigated the influence of music on helping behavior.  The participants were college students.  There were four groups in their experiment.  One group did not listen to music.  The other groups listened to either soothing music, aversive music, or stimulating music.  In this experiment, the participants first completed a mood questionnaire.  For the participants in one of the three music conditions, they completed the mood questionnaire before and after hearing the music.  In the no music condition, the participants also completed the mood questionnaire twice, but sat in silence for seven minutes.  After this, all participants were asked by the experimenter if they would be willing to participate in another experiment.   Fried and Berkowitz found that people who listening to the soothing music were more likely to agree to the experimenter’s request (to participate in another experiment) than people who did not listen to music.  They also found that the mean amount of time volunteered was greater for people who listened to soothing music than for people who did not listen to music. Fried and Berkowitz found that the stimulating music and the aversive music did not increase helping.  The differences between the stimulating music group and the no music group were not statistically significant with respect to the percentage of people helping and the amount of time volunteered.  Moreover, the differences between the aversive music group and the no music group were not statistically significant with respect to the percentage of people helping and the amount of time volunteered. (1)

These findings may have important practical implications.  Helping behavior may be increased by listening to soothing music.  Fundraising events could involve soothing music.

Notes

1. North, Tarrant, and Hargreaves (2004) also conducted a study involving music and helping behavior.  Their study involved uplifting and annoying music.   However, their study did not have a no music condition.  Thus, it is unclear whether the uplifting music had increased helping behavior.

References

Fried, R., & Berkowitz, L.  (1979).  Music hath charms…and can influence helpfulness.  Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 9, 199-208.

North, A. C., Tarrant, M., & Hargreaves, D. J. (2004).  The effects of music on helping behavior:  A field study.  Environment and Behavior, 36, 266-275.