Thread: Is music addictive?

I was reading an article a few days ago that spoke on the Hz frequencies used in music in that they, themselves, can be addictive for people. So when a person who listens to music every day goes a day or two without it, they can actually have withdrawal side-effects like head-ache, nervousness, stomach issues, and even a change in mood.

I am not sure if this is true for everyone but I feel like there is something to music that is not completely understood. There are far too many kids/teens who take to music like a guide and try to live like the words in some of the songs.

I can't really relate to it. I've always been an oddball when it comes to music, usually choosing instrumental and soundtracks over music with lyrics, with a few exceptions. I never really connected with lyrics and found them to often be very similar in meaning. I guess I'm not poetic enough, but what I love the most is melody. I haven't had any withdrawal symptoms before. Sometimes I've gone days or even weeks without listening to my chosen tracks when busy or on holiday, often even forgetting about it.

I'm sceptical of physical side-effects, so until I find a paper of a real scientific study on this I doubt I could believe it. Music is an entertainment medium like films and TV, and even those have soundtracks of their own which add to the entertainment value and play a key role in keeping our attention. But I never hear about people having withdrawal symptoms from visual entertainment, again highlighting the fact it contains audio which would produce the same effect. Then again, maybe some avid anime watchers here would beg to differ...

I don't get people who mostly listen to music for the lyrics. But I suppose many wouldn't understand my enjoyment of music almost purely for the instrumental side. It's really subjective. To me, I connect with melodies on an emotional level, especially with soundtracks as I think back to the scenes they're played in. Usually when people get soundtrack CDs they do so for songs from openings and endings (often in the case of anime) or a main theme, whereas I mostly care about background music. The Outlaw Star opening and ending tracks (Through the Night, Hiru no Tsuki and Tsuki no Ie) are the most popular on my YouTube channel, but I usually don't listen to them as I don't feel as much of a connection. I guess this is pretty off-topic, but it's something I've often wondered about and I've never really found the chance to ask people why they think the lyrical music is so much more popular, especially since Outlaw Star has such wonderful background music.

Is music addictive? I guess so, like any entertainment medium can be. I'll look up any studies on withdrawal effects when I have the time.

I would say so at least for me. I listen to music a lot in my off time. Sometimes it cuts into my other activities as well. For me at least, it just jogs my imagination and have me come up with ideas for potential stories and scenes. When it comes to that, music is one of the big things I turn to.

Originally Posted by Mantis

I can't really relate to it. I've always been an oddball when it comes to music, usually choosing instrumental and soundtracks over music with lyrics, with a few exceptions. I never really connected with lyrics and found them to often be very similar in meaning. I guess I'm not poetic enough, but what I love the most is melody. I haven't had any withdrawal symptoms before. Sometimes I've gone days or even weeks without listening to my chosen tracks when busy or on holiday, often even forgetting about it.

I'm sceptical of physical side-effects, so until I find a paper of a real scientific study on this I doubt I could believe it. Music is an entertainment medium like films and TV, and even those have soundtracks of their own which add to the entertainment value and play a key role in keeping our attention. But I never hear about people having withdrawal symptoms from visual entertainment, again highlighting the fact it contains audio which would produce the same effect. Then again, maybe some avid anime watchers here would beg to differ...

I don't get people who mostly listen to music for the lyrics. But I suppose many wouldn't understand my enjoyment of music almost purely for the instrumental side. It's really subjective. To me, I connect with melodies on an emotional level, especially with soundtracks as I think back to the scenes they're played in. Usually when people get soundtrack CDs they do so for songs from openings and endings (often in the case of anime) or a main theme, whereas I mostly care about background music. The Outlaw Star opening and ending tracks (Through the Night, Hiru no Tsuki and Tsuki no Ie) are the most popular on my YouTube channel, but I usually don't listen to them as I don't feel as much of a connection. I guess this is pretty off-topic, but it's something I've often wondered about and I've never really found the chance to ask people why they think the lyrical music is so much more popular, especially since Outlaw Star has such wonderful background music.

Is music addictive? I guess so, like any entertainment medium can be. I'll look up any studies on withdrawal effects when I have the time.

I am the same. I find music without words better really. I listen to a lot of gaming soundtracks or things like Blackmill.

I really don't understand the thing with lyrics either. I guess people want something to be a part of maybe? I would much rather get my own emotions from a song then have them sung to me.

If yоu аrе а funсtiоning pеrsоn (whаtеvеr nоrmаl lеvеl is сustоmаry fоr yоu), thеn yоu dо nоt hаvе аn аddiсtiоn.
аddiсtiоn is а strоng wоrd аnd signifiеs аn unhеаlthily lаrgе dеviаtiоn frоm thе widе rаngе оf "nоrmаl bеhаviоr".
If yоu hаd nоt bееn diаgnоzеd with аn аddiсtiоn, аnd if yоu аrе nоt urgеd by thоsе аrоund yоu tо sееk prоfеssiоnаl trеаtmеnt, сhаnсеs аrе thаt yоu аrе finе.
(аnd yоur quеstiоn is just аn еxhаggеrаtiоn).
With thаt, my оwn musiс listеning асtivitiеs spаn my соmmutе tо/frоm wоrk, my wоrkdаy, sоmе in thе еvеning, аnd аlmоst thrоughоut thе wееkеnd (I dоn't listеn tо it whеn I slееp).
I dоubt thаt my еnthusiаsm fоr musiс is hаrmful tо thе pоint оf bеing аn аddiсtiоn.

I feel that I only feel a bit jittery when I just found a new song I really like and I'm somewhere boring and can't listen to it. When I listen to a new song that I enjoy very much, I tend to listen to it several times over and over again. I don't know why but I usually imagine scenarios while listening. It's like I create music videos every time so it doesn't get boring. I guess this is like having a song stuck in your head and you have to listen to it so that it will let you finally be and let your mind rest.

This happened a lot with Disturbed music when I was younger and I was at school. Sometimes, I couldn't concentrate in class because I was playing the music in my head. I couldn't wait to go back home and turn some of that music up.

I am not sure about the scientific facts that you read about, but I am sure there is something to it. The fact that what we hear and make something up in our minds from it is abstract and from that point of view it can be addictive since we can create a whole new imaginary world while listening to music. But there is probably some scientific explanation for that too, because it affects our brain for sure on some level.

I once watched a show that had some amazing facts. They were saying that in music there are certain keys that facilitate addiction. Many producers know those notes and therefore in every song that they produce, it will tend to follow the notes. This makes the songs be addictive to the masses' brains. I do not know how this is true but all I know is that we cannot do without music.

I tend to like music everywhere. Work. Shower. Laundry. Cooking. Crying over a crush. During the commute. Falling asleep. Having sex. White noise. Everything needs a theme song. I think it plays an important part of life's continuity and cues.

Music is addictive. Personally, I cannot go a day without having a good dose of music. However, I love music because though it is addictive, it is also therapy. Whenever I listen to music, I feel at ease and my worries go away. This is especially slow music.