Close Ad

Why Your Favorite Song Really Does Motivate You to Keep Going
motivational music
Pop Culture

Why Your Favorite Song Really Does Motivate You to Keep Going

Music really can help you sprint to the finish, study for hours, or keepon going through the hardest days.

If you’re one of the several hundred million people who recently watched season four of the Netflix smash hit “Stranger Things,” chances are good that you have found yourself humming Kate Bush’s 1985 ballad “Running Up That Hill” more than once since the viewing. We won’t spoil the plot of the season, don’t worry, but suffice it to say the song plays an instrumental role for a certain character whose favorite tune is “Running Up That Hill." 


In fact, the song creates a life-or-death level of motivation.

While your own favorite music may not have literally saved your life, chances are good that you have many times experienced music as a proverbial life saver.

How many times have you turned up the volume on a “pump up” song to inspire you keep pushing through a run, a ride, or a workout? How much more pleasurable is it to clean the garage or do the dishes or rake the yard when you’ve got a great playlist going? How many times has the right song soothed your very heart when you were awash in sadness?

Our favorite songs genuinely can motivate us, and the way music motivates is not merely mental, it’s physiological, too.

Favorite Music Can Boost Energy and Endurance

Element5 digital obblibnujlk unsplash 1024x630
(Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash)

Did you know that athletes in competition are often banned from listening to music? In professional sports, experts believe the edge a motivating song gives to one athlete may prove unfair in much the same way as illegal steroids may help a runner or a hidden motor may help a cyclist. How can music give us this jolt of energy endurance that may be outlawed in competitive sports but ever so welcome during an everyday workout – or simply in everyday life?

When a favorite song comes on, it can stimulate the body’s sympathetic nervous system. This is the system that goes into higher gear when you are thrust into a stressful, challenging “fight or flight” situation. The airways open, the heartrate quickens, and extra blood flows to the muscles; your body is primed to perform at its best. And that performance can come in the form of extra reserves of speed, strength, and endurance that can be a benefit in sports and fitness, but it transcends that, as well.

Your Favorite Music Can Soothe and Calm

young person relaxes while listening to music
(Photo by Eric Nopanen on Unsplash)

A musically-inspired boost to the nervous system can also inspire you to remain productive through the end of a long workday or study session, to keep alert as you finish an all-day drive, or to see the light at the end of the tunnel in a depressing time in your life. But music can also inspire a mental and emotional state quite different from that type of motivation. The right song can do this by activating another part of the autonomic nervous system, the parasympathetic nervous system, which takes us into a state quite opposite “fight or flight.” 

In fact, when the parasympathetic nervous system is in charge, we move toward a state often called “rest and digest,” or relaxed and tranquil, in other words. Just as one song can motivate you to action – say, “Shipping Up to Boston” by the Dropkick Murphys – another favorite piece of music can help you achieve a state of calmness and serenity.

Music Releases a “Feel Good” Hormone

hordes of people enjoy concert
(Photo by ActionVance on Unsplash)

You know that sensation of happiness and the little surge of energy you get from a piece of candy, a funny joke, or a partner’s kiss? Music can create those feelings, too, because those feelings are a direct result of your brain releasing a bit of dopamine, a so-called “feel good” hormone.

And when you feel better, when you get a little emotional and energetic boost, you can keep on pressing harder and longer. That's whether your goal is one more mile on a run, one more page of that term paper written, 10 more emails read and replied to for work, or just to keep your chin up and get through the rest of a perfectly rotten day.

Why Do Some Songs Become Our Favorites?

young woman listens to music while on laptop
(Photo by Soundtrap on Unsplash)

Not just any song can give you the motivation to finish that marathon, crack those books, or stay the course on a bear of a work project. (Try cranking up Lou Bega’s “Mambo No. 5” at mile 24 and you might just quit the race, right?) Different people respond to different music, with some tunes hitting some ears – or brains, more to the point – in just the right way even though others may find that same music uninteresting or even unpleasant.

In order for a song to become one of your favorites – and in so doing become a potential source of motivation – first and foremost it has to sound good based on your personal taste. If you grew up listening to hip hop, chances are your favorite music will be from that genre. If you came of age listening to what we now call classic rock, same story. Our favorite songs usually are ones we connect not just with the actual piece of music, but that also connect to our lives in some way, with the songs best enjoyed in youth often remaining lifelong favorites.

Within a preferred genre, a few songs will stand out to you because you appreciate the patterns found in the music. Humans are hard-wired to seek out and appreciate predictable patterns, which is why almost all songs have choruses that repeat. Your brain looks forward to anticipating the beat, the melody, the rhythm, and the lyrics and experiences a pleasurable payoff when the anticipated notes and words arrive. And the more times we repeatedly listen to favorite songs, the more familiar they become; this makes us appreciate them more, not grow tired of the music, in most cases. 

And finally, hearing your favorite songs stimulates a neurologic circuit in the brain called the medial limbic system, according to Psychology Today, that elevates your mood. It’s not entirely clear whether this is because the music connects your mind to past memories, because it creates new connections within the brain, or both, but it’s safe to say that once a song has earned a spot on your personal top five or top 10 chart – especially if it’s the #1 spot – that tune can create genuine inspiration and motivation when you need it.


KEEP READING:

Elton John and David Furnish Prove the Secret to Surviving Marriage, Children and Life under a Microscope

Hot Stories

Leonardo DiCaprio Told Kate Winslet To “Let The Fat Girl Thing Go”
Leo Dicaprio Told Kate Winslet To “Let The Fat Girl Thing Go” …

Forced to feel ashamed for her weight and appearance, Kate Winslet struggled with her body image for years. The media loved to tease her for being “the fat girl,” but there was ONE PERSON who saw the real her. What did Leo see in Kate? And what important message does Kate have for young women everywhere?


Keep ReadingShow less
Videos
Dr Dre points up at text that says 25 rapper quotes to motivate you
Goalcast

The genres of rap and hip hop have been demonized by their association with gang violence and have often been represented by questionable characters. But we can’t overlook the fact that there are a lot of rappers out there who inspire and motivate us every day with their powerful lyrics and hypnotizing beats.

Just like any other form of art, rap is a representation of the artist’s personal experiences and emotions. A representation of what living in a rough environment really means and an expression of the grit that a tough life demands. They speak from life experience.

Keep ReadingShow less
Musicians
Elderly woman selling baking goods outside and an elderly woman with glasses.

Stranger's Video Helps Grandma Selling Baked Goods Go Viral

FOX13 News

Every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday without fail, Inez Hudson can be found stationed outside Super Choice Foods supermarket in Lakeland, Florida.

The 73-year-old woman sells homemade pies and cakes to support herself as her fixed income isn't enough to cover her living expenses.

She has her good days and bad days. That is, until now. Because thanks to the kindness of a stranger and the power of social media she just became a viral sensation. And now? Her baked goods are selling like hotcakes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Uplifting News