Have you ever gotten a song stuck in your head? It happens to me sometimes, and my solution is to actually listen to the song. Somehow listening to the song enables my brain to release it.

I have been thinking about how effective music is in setting my mood. But I wonder, is my mood already set and then I listen to music that fits that mood? Or can I control my mood based on what I listen to? I think it’s a little of both. 

If I’m in a sad mood, I tend to listen to sad music to let the mood exist and fade away. It doesn’t work for me to try to listen to something upbeat to pull me out of it. Similarly, when I’m in an upbeat mood I have no interest in listening to anything other than upbeat music. 

The times when I’m in no particular mood are the ones most influenced by the music I listen to. I find that I can move myself to one mood or another rather easily when my mood has not been firmly established. 

I enjoy listening to music, but I have reduced my music listening to incorporate other content. Now I primarily use music as a tool to set my mood. So far so good.