Music as a Technology of Mental Well-Being

• In Event: 545 - Section on Sociology of Culture Roundtable Session.
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 19. Production of Culture I

Abstract

This paper expands upon the work of Tia DeNora and the present understanding of music as a technology of health. I provide a statistical analysis of Robert Wuthnow’s “Arts and Religion” survey to: 1) examine the background and group membership factors that affect a person’s use of music as a tool for facilitating mental well-being in an everyday context, 2) understand how prior musical experiences impact this behavior, and 3) analyze how the use of music as a technology of health affects two aspects of mental well-being: emotional regulation and existential meaning-making. The results show that gender, parental education, and recent musical experiences have a significant effect on the employment of music as a means of coping. Additionally, the data demonstrate that using music as a coping mechanism has a strong effect on one’s emotional regulation and disposition towards the development of a deeper understanding of purpose and meaning in one’s life, mediating the effect of background and musical experience factors. I conclude by offering suggestions for future research on the connection between cultural practice and mental well-being in everyday life.

Author

• Daniel Semenza, Emory University