Music and the Teenage Mind: The Effect of Music on Adolescent Emotions and Behavior

Music is essential to human life. Since ancient times, music has been a core part of human culture. In recent times, music has become integral to the adolescent experience. With recent technological advances, music has become pervasive in teenagers' lives. Through music, teenagers express their emotions and beliefs. Because music is becoming more significant in adolescent life, the purpose of this study is to examine the connection between music and the minds of teenagers. This research paper investigates music's primary effects on adolescents' emotion and behavior through literature reviews and a survey. It explores a psychological aspect, such as the neuroscience and different brain parts behind music processing and its influence on emotion. In addition, this paper discusses the relationship between music and behavior, as different music genres can encourage different behaviors. Lastly, this paper looks at music’s impact on mental health. A survey was conducted to investigate the relationship between different genres and emotions in adolescents. Results showed that genres such as classical and pop music, had positive influences on adolescent emotion, while rap and rock often had the opposite. They also demonstrated that regardless of genre, music evokes feelings of nostalgia. This paper broadens the knowledge of music’s effects on adolescents while providing information for using music to improve adolescent behavior. In the long term, this paper aims to use music to find better mental health solutions and promote positive adolescent behavior.