Unless you’re a dedicated listener of Top 40 pop music, you’ve probably found yourself at one point or another complaining about the current state of mainstream music and how it’s too simplistic and unoriginal. Well you might be surprised to find out that this is more than just an opinion. There’s actually scientific evidence to back your hypothesis up.
Something else that we have been saying here at Saving Country music for years is that people can enjoy good, creative, complex, and thought-provoking music better than they can most pop music—that the experience of listening to music with a more artistic focus can be more fulfilling, more enjoyable, and longer lasting than the short-term sugar rush of a catchy, but fleetingly-potent simplistic beat set to inane, repeating lyrics.
For years we’ve known that listening to classical music can boost intelligence in the short-term, aka the “Mozart Effect.” But intelligence and enjoyment are two different things. Though there has yet to be a scientific study directly linking the complexity of music to a more enriching musical experience, many recent studies on the effects of music on the brain have given us insight into why the loss of artistry and variety in music may mean a less fulfilling musical experience, and thus, a less fulfilling life.
So let’s take a deeper look at the science. And I promise, we’ll try to keep it as simple as possible.
The Science Behind Why Pop Music Sucks « Saving Country Music