The 5 Happiest Songs, According to Science
Episode 11 of the podcast
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes (or play the video)
We all have songs that make us happy due to the emotional context from our lives. (That’s what the whole project is about!) But apparently there are 5 songs that elicit a positive response in all of us, regardless of emotional context.
I discovered them a few months ago, when I was trying to check my own SEO for the website. (Trying to make sure it shows up at the top of search results for terms like “happy songs” and “happy memory songs,” etc.) One of the top search results was this article from Inc.com.
First, I’ll outline what those songs are, and then I’ll explain how and why they make us happy.
I have created a playlist of all these songs! It’s on Spotify, but if anyone creates one on Apple, please send it to me and I’ll link to that as well! I will happily give you a shout-out on the podcast and the Instagram for doing us all a big favor.
As per Inc.com, the 5 happiest songs, according to science, are as follows:
‘Clair de Lune,’ by Debussy
There are several versions of this song—including piano, harp, cello, guitar, and more. My personal favorite is a piano version by Martin Jones, so that’s what I saved in the playlist.
I did some digging and have discovered some of the emotional context for this piece.
The name of the song is French for “moonlight.” It was written in 1890 as part of a 4-movement composition called Suite Bergamasque. The entire piece was inspired by a poem by Paul Verlaine, which was also called “Clair de Lune.” That collection of his poetry, called Fêtes Galantes, was inspired by Impressionistic paintings by Jean-Antoine Watteau.
The paintings were of idyllic landscape settings in the French countryside, with people sometimes dressed in costume. In the poems, Verlaine describes the subjects as appearing happy but being sad underneath the façade. So the poems, and the music, have “subtle suggestions of mingled sorrow and beauty.”
I imagine it would be quite an experience to view one of these paintings, while hearing someone recite the poems (either in English or French), as “Clair de Lune” plays in the background.
“Piano Sonata No. 17 in D Minor, ‘The Tempest,’” by Beethoven
This sonata was composed in 1802, when Beethoven was becoming increasingly aware of going deaf. Such emotional turbulence is certainly present in the music.
There’s an episode about Beethoven on the podcast 20,000 Hertz, which tells much more of his fascinating story and how he composed music as he was going deaf. Thanks to my friend, Anne, for recommending it to me!
‘Adagio for Strings, Op. 11,’ by Barber
This piece was written in 1936, and ironically, has been touted as “the saddest piece of music ever written.” Adagio Has been played at funerals, like FDR, Einstein, and Princess Grace, as well as tributes to JFK after his assassination, and the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Perhaps part of what makes this song so appealing is its unique ability to provide space for grief. It seems that the music’s gradual crescendo and increasing tension allow listeners to confront and process loss and suffering.
Some believe the emotional intensity of Adagio is due in part to the composer’s personal struggles, such as pressure to hide his homosexuality. It could also be an expression of the global unrest at the time. The U.S. was reeling from the Great Depression, and Europe was a few years away from entering World War II.
‘Adagio for Strings,’ by Tiësto
This is a techno version of the previous song, which was adapted in 2005.
One interesting aspect is that the time signature in this version is 4/4, rather than 3/4. That means there are 4 beats per measure, and each note is ¼ of the duration. Songs with that time signature have more of a rhythmic “marching” feel. Because of that, this adaptation has a whole different energy to it, while retaining the emotional depth of the original score.
To me, this version of the same melody evokes more determination than sorrow.
‘First Breath After Coma,’ by Explosions in the Sky
As one may gather from the title, this piece was meant to evoke the emotions one might experience upon waking up from a coma, or at birth. The first several seconds are relatively uncomfortable to experience, due to the tension. They’re meant to mimic the beeping of a heartrate monitor in a hospital room.
This is the opening track on their album The Earth Is Not a Cold, Dead Place, which is often interpreted as a journey through life.
The song’s structure and musical elements are meant to mirror the process of gaining awareness. The gradual buildup of layers and instrumentation represents the slow and steady return of one’s consciousness and awareness of physical sensations.
So, those are the 5 songs and the stories behind them…
But why do they make us happy—especially when some of them have such sad origins, and sound so mournful?
The original article by Inc.com cites a study by the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital which reveals that listening to music releases dopamine.
In case you don’t know, dopamine is a neurotransmitter that the brain releases during pleasurable or enjoyable experiences. (For example, dopamine is released when you eat something tasty, or experience a pleasant physical sensation.) It’s part of the brain’s reward system, and helps reinforce pleasurable behaviors in order to encourage repetition. That’s how it’s involved in learning and habit formation, for better or worse.
Physiologically speaking, dopamine is released whenever the parts of the brain tied to anticipation and pleasure are stimulated. There are also studies which show that listening to our favorite songs will release dopamine, but all of these songs exemplify a mastery of anticipation and release—which is exactly what stimulates the reward center of the brain. That explains why each of these songs were shown to increase dopamine in all of the subjects of the study, even if they’d never heard them before, and even if they were not among the subjects’ favorite music.
For more on this topic
When I searched for this article again in order to share it with you, I found several similar articles with other songs that are purported to be “the happiest.” Apparently, there are a ton of songs that science says will elevate your mood for different reasons!
I won’t share them all here, but I will link to some of the articles. (Ironically, there’s another list on Inc.com, this time outlining the 10 happiest songs—but it’s from a different study! More about songs that evoke fun and upbeat emotions rather than the production of dopamine.)
If you’d like to dig deeper, there’s also a fascinating article from Wired.com which discusses the neuroscience of music, as well as one from Pfizer called “How and why music moves us.”
Follow-up questions
Which of those 5 songs do you connect with the most, and why?
What’s your “song” (that reminds you of a happy memory)? Have you ever used it specifically to lift your spirits?
What is a song you listen to when you need to emotionally recharge?
Share your thoughts below!