Topic Proposal

I have chosen to study the perceived effects that music can have on mental health. According to the mood management theory proposed by Dolf Zillmann and Jennings Bryant, people use different forms of media to affect their mood. For example, someone may watch a happy movie when they feel sad to elevate their mood, or watch an action film before going out for the night to put them in the right mindset for their evening. Due to the research going into this theory, it is clear to see the possibility of media affecting mental health. However, due to the broadness of this subject, I decided to narrow down my own research into one form of media: music. Additionally, I will not be conducting an experiment, as it is nearly impossible for me to test what effects music can have on people with mental health issues in two weeks. Therefore, I will be conducting a survey and categorize people based on their responses as to their current perceptions of music's potential effects on mental health. This topic is very important because it helps to destigmatize and instead humanize mental disorders, a subject that is still very taboo and has lots to be researched within the field. There is a whole field being developed around this idea of music having an effect on people with mental disorders and attempting to help them through the power of song. Music therapy has lots of potential in the future, and as our university is lucky enough to have a developed major around this field, I hope to interview one of the music therapy professors here to gain more information on this subject. My current plan is to create a google form that leads the participant through a series of questions pertaining to their mental health history, the importance of music in their lives, and the potential connection they see between the two of them and then post this form on Facebook, as well as potentially email it to the university group emails. This way, I will be able to have the most potential exposure possible and am likely to have a greater number of participants and therefore more accurate data.

Research Questions:
1) How does music affect mental health?
2) Do people perceive music as helpful to those living with a mental health condition?