Mixtape of Your Mind

Paul’s playlist, the list of things upon which we are to allow our minds to dwell, includes things that are “true … honorable … just … pure … lovely … commendable,” excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). When you think about the mixtape that replays in your mind, what would make Paul’s cut? What would have to go? “Everyone can relate to the experience of listening to a melancholic playlist and then not being able to escape the mood. But, according to research, even how we perceive the world around us can be influenced by music. Researchers at the University of Groningen showed in an experiment that listening to sad or happy music can not only put people in a different mood, but also change what people notice. In a 2011 study, 43 students listened to happy or sad music in the background as they were tasked with identifying happy and sad faces. When happy music was played participants spotted more happy faces and the opposite was true for sad music. … Music triggers the hormones oxytocin and serotonin, responsible for bonding, trust and intimacy” (Nina Avramova, “How Music Can Change the Way You Feel and Act,” CNN, February 20, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/08/health/music-brain-behavior-intl/index.html).