Beneath the catchy melodies and beautiful harmonies lies a darker side to music that often goes unnoticed.

The risks of music often come when we overdo it.

We put on too much loud music or too many sad songs, but sometimes we don’t have to turn it a notch to feel the pain. Some people are almost allergic to it.

Here’s what happens when the sound environment becomes hostile to us.

When music turns moods southward

An interesting study at the University of Central Florida looked at the impact of music on the moods of individuals dealing with anxiety and depression and those who weren’t.

This study, unlike others, didn’t try to make people feel a certain way with music. Instead, it looked at how music naturally affects our mood.

After 670 college students filled out questionnaires about anxiety, depression, demographics, and their music habits, the findings raised some concerns:

• Participants had high levels of anxiety, ranging from severe to extreme.

• Depression levels were more normally distributed, with a substantial portion reporting mild depression.

• Those who listened to tunes to cope with life’s curveballs or to let out their feelings tended to have higher levels of anxiety and depression.

• Certain music genres, like alternative music (indie rock, post-punk, shoegaze, new wave, etc.) and soundtracks/show tunes, were associated with higher depression scores.

• Specifically, the following combo mix showed a higher risk of having anxiety and depression: being a woman, having a preference for alternative music, and using music as a coping mechanism to deal with life’s challenges.

This study showed that music affects people’s anxiety and depression levels. It’s a mood-shifter but with a significant risk to the downside.

Why?

Since this study demonstrates a correlation rather than direct causation, we can explore the following reasons for this phenomenon:

• Emotional empathy: Genres like alternative music often have lyrics and themes that connect with people dealing with emotional issues. If you’re already feeling depressed or anxious, you might naturally lean towards music that resonates with those emotions.

• Coping mechanism: Turning to music as a way to cope can be a mixed bag. While it can offer comfort and solace, some folks might end up depending on it too much to escape or dodge their underlying emotional problems.

• Selective sampling: The study focused on college students, a demographic that can experience high levels of stress and academic pressure. This might explain the higher levels of depression and anxiety observed.

So, rather than a sure way to trigger these negative states in our minds, this study offers more of a cautionary tale.

Don’t overuse certain songs that you know will keep you in a low emotional state.

Seizures triggered by sound

There’s a rare form of epilepsy triggered by sound called musicogenic epilepsy.

People with this condition have seizures triggered by specific sounds, often music, singing, or certain musical patterns. These seizures can either start in one specific part of the brain (focal) or involve the entire brain (generalized).

Only about 150 cases have been reported, and most of them are women aged 30 to 35. Some folks can feel symptoms even 5 minutes after hearing certain sounds. According to neurologist Natalia García-Casares, these symptoms can be either bad, like feeling scared, having a racing heart, sweating, or even passing out, or surprisingly good, like feeling happy and content.

As a result, patients often develop a fear of music because of these symptoms.

Why?

We don’t fully understand the exact mechanism, but one theory suggests it’s linked to how the brain handles sound. Certain patterns or frequencies in the music might set off unusual electrical activity in the brain, potentially causing a seizure.

For instance, a 24-year-old New Yorker experienced seizures every time she listened to the dancehall reggae artist Sean Paul’s song “Temperature”. After a while, even the thought of the song elicited the seizures.

It became so overwhelming that she decided to undergo surgery. Doctors removed a portion of her brain (in the temporal lobe), and the seizures stopped completely.

The triggers can vary immensely ranging from the song’s lyrics, a specific timbre, and a rhythm, to hearing music from a particular composer. Sometimes, as in the case mentioned earlier, simply thinking about the triggering sound can also bring on epilepsy.

García-Casares suggests that researchers believe a significant emotional element is involved, possibly related to a shortage of serotonin. Some antidepressants have been found to assist in managing epilepsy in this context.

However, consider that while music is a trigger for some patients, it’s not a common trigger for most people with epilepsy.

Loud music destroys our ears

Imagine attending the concert of the century, with speakers pumping out in full power, and after the concert, a buzzing sound never seems to leave you ever again.

Being around really loud noises, whether it’s just one super loud blast or a long time spent in noisy environments, can make your ears ring, buzz, hiss, or create other weird sounds.

This condition is known as tinnitus.

Why?

This happens due to damage to the delicate hair cells within the inner ear, those responsible for transmitting sound signals to the brain.

When these hair cells are exposed to intense sound levels, they can become damaged or even die off, resulting in the brain interpreting the absence of sound as a persistent noise.

Even though music can be exciting and enjoyable, it’s important to protect your hearing so you can continue enjoying music throughout your life.

A tool of torture

Music has unfortunately been used in interrogation practices by military and intelligence agencies.

Loud and repetitive music, often played at high volumes for extended periods, has been used to disorient and psychologically distress detainees, making it a form of psychological torture.

The Senate Intelligence Committee’s report on the CIA’s use of torture released in 2014 revealed the use of “sound disorientation techniques” as part of the torture methods employed by the CIA.

Detainees found themselves subjected to a relentless barrage of loud music, played on a never-ending loop, designed to deprive them of sleep and push them to the brink of psychological distress. It was a calculated strategy aimed at breaking these individuals down, making them vulnerable.

Something universally cherished as music was unfortunately weaponized using American music genres like metal and country which were intentionally foreign to the detainees. The idea was to sever any connection they had with their culture, adding another layer of psychological torment.

According to the American Song Writer, some of the most popular songs used by the CIA were the following:

• Baby One More Time (Britney Spears)

• Bodies (Drowning Pool)

• Born in the U.S.A. (Bruce Springsteen)

• Enter Sandman (Metallica)

• I Love You (Barney & Friends)

• Dirrty (Christina Aguilera)

Why?

Our brains are wired to process music, and they naturally seek patterns and anticipate what comes next. When detainees were bombarded with unfamiliar tonal structures, it drove some of them to the edge of their sanity.

Also, when used relentlessly and at high volumes, music can induce extreme stress and discomfort. It disrupts mental peace and can lead to anxiety, disorientation, and a sense of helplessness. Since detainees have no control over the music being played this can lead to feelings of powerlessness and despair.

Despite all this suffering, the report concluded that it didn’t yield valuable intelligence breakthroughs. So, in the end, it was all for nothing, a futile and inhumane endeavor we should never repeat.

Contaminating the oceans with sound

While this phenomenon isn’t directly about music, it’s connected to the damage caused by sound.

Acoustic contamination is even worse than plastic contamination in the oceans, according to Carlos Duarte, professor of Marine Sciences at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.

When we talk about this type of pollution, we’re talking about the increased levels of underwater noise created by human activities such as shipping, naval exercises, offshore construction, and even airplanes flying over coastal areas, all of which impact marine life.

This noise pollution, which is often invisible, is leading to major ecological imbalances in the oceans around the world.

Professor Duarte says that this type of contamination has extended throughout most oceans. The increase year by year is severely weakening sea animals by disrupting their communication, navigation, and behavior due to the masking of natural sounds and chronic stress.

This pollution can result in a drop in the number of marine species, leaving their habitats, and a decrease in their ability to reproduce successfully.

Final thoughts

Whatever we take to an extreme can cause serious damage to our psyche and the environment.

However, when it comes to music there’s also a biological component that’s not necessarily related to the intensity of the stimulus (i.e. music-induced epilepsy and amusia).

We must remain mindful of our sound surroundings, especially since sound-related issues can often go unnoticed.

It’s crucial to identify any potential harm before it becomes a lasting problem. This entails being mindful of the volume of our music and avoiding prolonged exposure to songs that consistently evoke negative emotions.

Take care of your ears and hearts so they can serve you all your life!