Christine Illes
Features Writer

We all have that favorite song that, when it comes on the radio, we sing along to and a song that just makes us groan in irritation. With just one change of a song, our mood can change completely. Studies have shown that music has a great impact on our daily lives. Music has the ability to relax us, motivate us, inspire us, and open our minds. In short: music is therapeutic.
Everyone has their own musical tastes. Although you may think some genres such as heavy metal and rap may have a negative effect on your mood, they actually do not. According to Jennifer Copley, writer for Suite 101, there have been studies that prove such genres do not affect your mood negatively if that is your musical preference.
“College students whose musical preferences are alternative, rock or heavy metal actually obtain higher IQ test scores on average, particularly on questions where abstraction is required,” said Copley. So basically, if you start listening to bands such as Disturbed and Iron Maiden, you will not turn into an angry and depressed person if you enjoy it.
     Not only does music affect mood, it affects many different parts of your brain. Music can bring back good and bad memories, keep us from “cracking under pressure,” enhances exercising and, surprisingly, even boosts our immune system.
“Soothing music is known to decrease stress, and when it does that, it decreases the level of the stress hormone cortisol. It’s not just soothing music though, even upbeat dance music is known to increase the level of antibodies in your system,” said blogger Thorin Klosowski from Life Hacker. Since cold season has begun, listening to your favorite kind of music might just give you that boost you need.
Music has a strong hold on us, and some of us may not even realize it. But it’s something I notice every day. For example, listening to the Beatles just puts me in the greatest mood. I love them dearly. But if my younger brother changes the station to listen to Lil Wayne, I become a very angry person. Music truly does have a great impact on our lives. Use it to your advantage. It’ll just make life a little easier.