A study conducted in Australia with a sample size of 1,000 people has concluded that people who regularly attend festivals, raves and music concerts are happier with their lives overall than those who do not.
We have always known that art in general and music tend to increase any given person’s happiness level, but this particular study reports that people who go to communal music events on a regular basis are far more satisfied with their life in general than those who abstain from such activities.
The study “explores the connection between habitual music engagement and subjective wellbeing (SWB),” where ‘habitual music engagement’ might be anything from attending music festivals to just going to the club.
The findings revealed that engaging with music by dancing or attending musical events was associated with higher SWB than for those who did not engage with music in these forms. The findings also emphasised the important role of engaging with music in the company of others with regard to SWB, highlighting an interpersonal feature of music.
Photo by Kaleb Nimz
What is key according to this study is the communal element to these musical experiences. Sitting at home listening to music isn’t the same as being fully immersed at a show where music is being played and you’re enjoying it amidst other music lovers. Feeling joy among others feeling joy increases the individual’s happiness level, and doing so frequently naturally increases one’s happiness in life.
I am no scientist but it’s safe to assume that we should take this study seriously and attend even more raves, festivals and music events moving forward!
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