Angela Aiken (2000)

The purpose of my research was to find out if people use music as a way to modulate their mood.  Thirty-two participants were placed into two conditions of induced mood:  happy mood and sad mood.  Fifty elation and fifty depressing statements were used to induce the desired mood.  Participants were told to read all of their assigned statements in order to have a specific mood induced.   Half of each of the groups (induced happy and induced depressed moods) were told to remember the statements that they had been assigned to read.  The other participants were not given any special instructions regarding remembering the statements read.

Participants were then told that more data was needed from them in order to help in "another class' research".  They were given a description of two music tapes and asked to rank their interest in the specific tapes.   Tape 1 was described as upbeat and happy, while tape 2 was described as depressing and slow.  Participants were then given a short questionnaire created by myself about their conception of mood regulation.  Those participants in the sad mood group were also given a portion of the Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist to ensure a reasonably positive mood.  My primary interest was in the sad mood condition, with instructions to remember the depressing statements they were originally asked to read.  If these participants were to rate a greater interest in listening to the depressing musical tape, it was thought that they would have tried to actively stay in that sad mood (and hence modulate and extend) through the use of the music.

A significant main effect was found with respect to mood and ratings of Tape 1 and Tape 2.  Those in the happy mood condition rated their interest in listening to the happy tape at a significantly higher level than those in the induced sad mood group.  Conversely, those in the sad mood group were more interested in listening to the depressing music.  Although there was no significant interaction found between the directions (either to remember the mood inducing statements or were given no instructions) which were given to the participants and their ratings of the musical tapes, I do think that it is important to note that the present mood state was important for all subjects and largely governed their subsequent musical choices.