Ritisha Saxena- Week 9- The Power of Music


Nostalgia. Joy. Heartbreak. These emotions are amplified by music. Music is a powerful part of our lives that can contribute to connecting their emotions and to the other people around them. When you are happy, music can elevate your mood to almost drastically joyful levels. But, if you are heartbroken and looking for something or somebody to relate to, music can act as a shoulder to cry on.

Music’s power comes from its ability to connect with our emotions and memories. Nostalgia, for example, is the emotion that is elicited when I hear the song “Sorry” by Justin Bieber or “Roar” by Katy Perry. It has the ability to link certain moments and emotions with a single tune. 


Scientifically music has the capability to alter your mood as well! It can activate your happy hormones (dopamine) and make you feel amazing! Or it can do the opposite and suppress them, making you feel somewhat miserable. 


Music also has the power to bring people together. Especially in events such as concerts, festivals ,or karaoke, it has the power to bring you close to people you would least expect to get along with. Personally, me and one of my closest friends spend the weekends together, on call or in person bonding over nostalgic songs and singing along! This has brought us closer together! 


Music has the power to inspire as well! Especially now, where a portion of our lives are digital, we have the ability to share our creations with each other, over platforms like SoundCloud, TikTok, or Instagram!


So take a moment to appreciate your Spotify playlist because without it, we would not be able to connect with ourselves or each other to the fullest level!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Michelle Li, 3/19 Week 13 - Person of American Significance

Image
David Koresh, my Person of American Significance. Image source: Financial Times You might have noticed my face turning a little red after my POAS presentation this Monday; I was embarrassed. I genuinely thought my performance was awkward and that my memory lapses were too obvious. But my tablemates and friends quickly reassured me that I did well, which I was grateful for, but didn’t truly believe. I think it’s because I don’t notice how I deliver my speeches. When I’m presenting, I switch into a different mindset where I cut out filler words, enunciate things for emphasis, and use hand gestures. It happens near automatically now through a phenomenon called implicit memory ---a type of long-term memory that causes us to unconsciously recall behavior or skills, typically through repeating these habits in the past. Since delivery has become second nature, I only focus on the content of what I’m speaking about—which I’ll admit was lackluster and cut out important information I wanted to ...
Read more

Yumi Liu - Week 10: Instant Noodle

Image
I love instant noodles.  Yesterday, I made instant noodles for a midnight snack. I used Paldo Gomtang Instant Noodles, and I was reminded of the quarantine period (can you believe it's been five years since the peak of COVID-19). Although a bit concerning, my lunch every day throughout 7th grade was Paldo Gomtang Instant Ramen. I ate instant noodles so much back then that I was able to craft a perfect routine in how to make the noodles balance between soft but not soggy. During that Zoom lunch break, I would immediately go to my pantry and grab the instant noodle pack.  Take a pot and put the noodles Fill the water just above the noodles  Then boil the noodles till it is about to boil over Lastly, my secret recipe is to leave the noodles in the pot after turning off the heat for exactly 4 minutes. Looking back, all those instant noodles probably stunted my growth. However, they were a crucial part of my daily life. I love instant noodles for its simplicity, flavor, and th...
Read more

Michelle Li, 5/14 Week 16 - Mafia

Image
The logo of the MafiaScum Wiki, a wiki dedicated to online versions of the game. Source: MafiaScum Today was the largest game of mafia I have ever been a part of. 17 people! 18, if you count the Game Master. It also marks the end of a two-year hiatus I took from the game.  Throughout seventh to ninth grade, I was active on mafia forums and the MafiaScum Wiki pages (that’s Mafia Scum by the way; scum is a term used to describe any party that works against villagers in the game). I loved playing mafia online. Threads and direct messages allowed for much more privacy between mafia members, allowing for roles and setups to become far more complex than they could ever be in person. But despite the social nature of this game, I always felt disconnected from the other online players. There’s something distinct about sitting in a circle, eyeing down people that have been biting back smiles or have stayed suspiciously silent for most of the round. There’s something distinct about physical...
Read more