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Kailyn Levi

November 29th 2015


English 1001
Jean Coco
My audience is anyone dealing with a mental illness, such as depression, which uses
music as a relief or therapy from what they struggle with everyday.
Preface
Some of the strengths of my Inquiry Project so far, would be that I finally became
settled on a topic. At first I was very indecisive about whether I wanted to write my IP
over my Personal Literacy paper, or my General Analysis Project paper. I started with my
PLP, going in confident, but once we actually began research for the project, I started to
have a few doubts. After the researching workshop class, I decided to switch over and
start using my GAP paper as the focus for my Inquiry Project. Once I started doing a little
outside research on my own time, the topic started to grow on me more. Creating my
Line of Inquiry was easygoing as well. I felt more comfortable with my GAP way more
than my PLP. Everything was going well until, I realized that most of the information that
I researched, became repetitive. I started having doubts about my paper in general, which
did nothing but frustrate and stress myself out. I started to think about making my LOI
less complex than, How does music affect your moods or behavior? I just couldnt
figure out what else to research. I was stuck for a long time, until I went to the group
conference meeting with my professor. She understood what I was having trouble with,
and even helped me create a more specific LOI, with different topics that I could talk
about more specifically within my paper. I felt a slight bit of relief, but once I got back to
working on my paper, I just found myself stuck, once again. I would say that my
weakness come out with just trying to stay on topic, and complete the paper. I feel as if,
still, my paper lacks the ability to fully go in depth about the topic at hand. I find myself
repeating things and sounding dumb. I wish I could have a different angle to write
about. Part of me thinks that Im just being hard on myself, but another part of me
believes my paper is missing a lot of detail. I also know the annotation of this project is
very important, and I dont necessarily believe that Ive done those correctly either. Im
always really hard on myself with my writing, but I hope that I can find some kind of
relief with my paper soon. I personally think this whole experience up to completing this
paper has been THE WORST. Ive never felt so non confident about a paper in my entire
writing career. I love to write, and this roadblock is making me very nervous about
finishing the semester on a good note. Im sure that Im mostly stressing myself out, but I
know I can do better with my paper. I just need to find a way around whatever is blocking
me from improving it. Now that the paper is finally complete, I can surely say that its a
relief. Coming to an end with this paper, I still can say, its probably one of my toughest
assignments. If I had two more weeks to complete it, I would probably feel the same way,
but it most definitely would be more informative. I appreciate everything that Ive
learned through out this project, and how much stronger my writing has became.
(1) Music is a universal language thats heard all over the world, no matter where
you are. Its the barrier that brings people together with ease. Its the motivational

Levi

Kailyn Levi
November 29th 2015
English 1001
Jean Coco
movement that has an effect on everyone, no matter what they listen to. Music impacts
the moods and behavior of how humans react to situations and everyday life decisions.
Not many realize the impact of it, from the way we talk to the way we carry ourselves in
a general standpoint. Music is also used as a therapy in order to improve attitude,
performance, and act as a natural de-stressor. The study of music is in fact a form of
psychology. The Amydala is a deep central brain structure that receives some of the first
projections from the lower brain centers. When listening to music the Amydala is
stimulated, just like the brain is stimulated to things such as smells, sounds, and feelings.
So when listening to music, you set off an alarm in a sort of way.

(2) My research has been centered on, how does music effect people suffering
from depression, and is it helping or putting more stress on the individual? Studies show
that this issue, is actually very important yet not a lot believe that music does have quite
an effect on us as human beings, whether we suffer from depression or not. Music can
also affect the way we perceive situations, like with evidence within a court case.
(3) Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law researchers were
faced with a case that was resolved by impact of the music played during the viewing of
evidence to jurors who were apart of the case. This left jurors using the emotional appeal
from listening to the music as the evidence played, as their persuasion to come to a final
decision with the case at hand. This came as an advantage and disadvantage in the case,
because were the citizens in the jury to be trusted with their decision? Was their decision
made off of the facts given in the case, or simply because of what they heard while
watching the evidence? Inevitably, the jurors reached a final decision, but in the end how

Levi

Kailyn Levi
November 29th 2015
English 1001
Jean Coco
was the decision really made? Music appeals to peoples emotions, and emotion is
sometimes used over actual thinking; hint the phrase, heart over mind. Music is
emotionally driven, and is what in fact crafts our emotion. Is it fair to present musically
tied evidence to a jury? What type of reaction would someone have on this, whether they
were on trial for the case or whether just listening to the case? For the average depressed
individual, do you think that this would affect them in a way of going to a bad place
within, just from listening to the music and connecting it with the case? Should the jury
be trusted to make the same decision as if there isnt any music presented with it? At the
end of it all, you have to think of everything given to you in order to be able to make a
decision in a case, whether the music made you or not. Music in fact does have an
emotional appeal that influences our mind and actions. It comes very naturally, that as
humans youre not necessarily aware of your behavior, but it impacts your actions most
of the time. (Vanderbilt Students, 1)
(4) Depression is a mental condition characterized by feelings of severe
despondency and dejection, typically also with feelings of inadequacy and guilt, often
accompanied by lack of energy and disturbance of appetite and sleep. A study released
from the University of Pittsburg School if Medicine shows that teens who are drawn to
do nothing but listen to music, seemed to become depressed over time. Mostly aggressive
music, with dark and sad feelings is what was studied with this research. Studies also
showed that victims of depression were less likely to be depressed if they chose to read
things such as books, magazines, or even newspapers, versus listening to music. Along to
help with the researchers, Dr. Brian A. Primack was also apart of the experience, in order
to prove the theory further. After many compare and contrast, the results found by Dr.

Levi

Kailyn Levi
November 29th 2015
English 1001
Jean Coco
Primack were found to be that heavy music listening was in fact a sign of depression. Dr.
Primack expressed, "I think it is important to know that there is this association between
depression and music exposure," he said. "This is nothing bad about music -- it may be
providing a service to young people who become depressed. However, clinicians and
parents ... may be able to more easily discover someone lapsing into depression based on
their behavior." (Pohla Smith, 1)
(5) Other researches also joined in on the research. Director of the Touch
Research Institute of the University Of Miami School Of Medicine, Tiffany Field, also
gave her own conclusion from the studies. As a former researcher who had already
studied the issue of depression among teens and music, Tiffany cited a 1999 study in
which researchers played a Michael Jackson, song, which wasnt mentioned, to depressed
adolescents, as more reason to add to her studies she found. She said, The primary brain
activity of a depressed person can be detected in the right frontal region. Listening to the
Jackson song sometimes caused a shift of brain activity to the left side. "If they didn't like
the music, the brain shift didn't occur until we played the music they liked," Dr. Field
expressed. If they're depressed they're going to turn to things that make them feel better,
so they turned to music." she concluded. Dr. Field looked at the issue with more of a
therapeutic aspect, versus the cut-dry Music is the face of depression attitude that Dr.
Primack seemed to have. (Pohla Smith, 1)
(6) Another sign of depression coming from music would be teens into headbanging heavy metal music. Theyre often more depressed than usual victims, and at a
higher risk of committing suicide. Studies shown from researchers at Melbourne
University show that, teens who listen to head banging music are often at risk of having
Levi

Kailyn Levi
November 29th 2015
English 1001
Jean Coco
depression and suicidal thoughts, with motivation to act on them. Most young people
listen to a range of music in positive ways; to block out crowds, to lift their mood or to
give them energy when exercising, but young people at risk of depression are more likely
to be listening to music, particularly heavy metal music, in a negative way, was Dr
Katrina McFerran's perception after her five year study on the subject. Inevitably, she
agrees and thinks the problem at hand is in fact getting worse. The study also shows that
other music genres like rap, pop, country, etc. dont have such a negative impact as much
as the heavy metal music. (Asian News International, 1)
(7) In conclusion, Music effects people who suffer from clinical depression, more
than our society realizes. You would assume it would be a positive impact, but inevitably
it can be such a negative one. Research shows that the various effects that music has on
depression, most of them having a negative aspect, and the way it can easily be a
persuading factor in some cases. Music isnt all bad for those with a disadvantage, but it
has been proven to also positively influence those with depression. Although music is
considered a universal bind all over the world, have you ever inspected it underneath its
reality? This is a deeper situation than most realize. Music can make you happy or sad,
and can either be motivational or depressing. In all, the negative impact it has on people,
especially victims of depression, is a serious issue that needs to be publicized, to bring
awareness to.

Levi

Kailyn Levi
November 29th 2015
English 1001
Jean Coco

Works Cited
American Psychiatric Association. "What Is Depression?" What Is Depression?
American Psychiatric Association, 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.
Asian News International. "Shibboleth Authentication Request." Shibboleth
Authentication Request. Asian News International, 20 Oct. 2011. Web. 29 Nov.
2015.
Healthline Networks, Inc. "How Music Affects Our Moods." Healthlines RSS News.
Healthline Networks, Inc., 2005-2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.
Smith, Pohla. "Pitt Study of Depression Among Teens Finds Associations with Music,
Reading ." Http://www.lib.lsu.edu.libezp.lib.lsu.edu/. Pittsburgh PostGazette

(PA)., 05 Apr. 2011. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

Vanderbilt Students. "Music and Emotion in Victim-Impact Evidence."


Http://www.lib.lsu.edu.libezp.lib.lsu.edu. Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment &
Technology Law, 01 Oct. 2013. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.
Vicky. "Music Psychology." Music Psychology. Press Customizr, 2014. Web. 09 Dec.
2015.

Levi

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