A simple question - do you have at least one friend who would be happy to say they don't like music at all? We're willing to bet you don't. People may have a variety of musical tastes and preferences, but the love for music as a phenomenon is in each of us. And the point here is not just that we like a set of melodic sounds.
In fact, music can have a very positive effect on a person. Let's look at some examples:
1. Music makes us smarter
When listening to musical compositions, different parts of the brain are activated, so the listener subconsciously memorizes melodies and lyrics and trains their memory. It's even believed that music has a therapeutic effect on brain injuries.
2. Music has a positive effect on biological processes
Researcher Don Kent from Harvard University found that music reduces the effects of fatigue, evens out the pulse and breathing, and has a positive effect on the psycho-emotional state of a person. But a lot depends on what kind of music it is. For example, overly loud rattling sounds and shrill tones, on the contrary, can provoke panic states and cause anxiety.
3. Music sets the right mood
Clinical psychologist and family counselor Curtis Levan believes that music can increase libido. And Dr. Y. Mark Hohn claims that music can raise the level of serotonin in the blood and thereby help men with low testosterone levels.
There is a popular opinion that musical accompaniment can help to achieve success on a first date. In France, a study was even conducted, which showed that girls were more willing to give men a phone number when romantic music was playing nearby. And those who listened to something neutral more often refused to give their number.
Can music be the foundation of a happy romantic relationship?
Let's say straight away that similar musical tastes are not a guarantee of a strong relationship, but they are a very good "bonus". However, a strong difference in musical preferences can greatly spoil a relationship or even prevent one happening at all.
A couple of years ago, the American service TickPick conducted research to determine how much musical tastes affect relationships. It turned out that every fifth person wouldn't be prepared to date someone whose preferences in music they consider poor. Girls in this regard were more hardline - only 46% of them were ready to enter into a relationship with a person with "inappropriate" tastes. While among men the figure is a little higher - 54%.
Another finding was interesting too. The same TickPick survey determined that men consider hip-hop to be the most unattractive musical genre, and heavy metal for girls. Men's favorite genre is classic rock (41%), while women's favorite is hip-hop (39%).
Interesting fact: Partners who enjoy listening to classic rock, jazz, country, or folk together score an average of 8.5 out of 10 or higher in their relationship. And modern users still consider rock music to be the most popular and "universal" genre.
Meet new people based on their musical tastes
Obviously, modern online dating sites are obliged to use music as a means to select the perfect couple. Some of them have gone in a rather unusual way. For example, Tinder has a so-called music mode. Users can add a music track to their profile that other users will hear when they visit. Rather an interesting solution, thanks to which you can get to know a person better literally from the first seconds on their dating service profile. However, the music mode in Tinder is more just a nice bonu, like the music features in other popular dating services - Bumble, OkCupid, etc. We are more interested in dating sites that rely entirely on the music preferences of users. There are many such services: POM - an app that doesn't just try to find partners with similar musical tastes. Here, literally all communication is tied to music. You can search for new tracks and artists on the accounts of other users, share your favorite music and much more. POM also regularly organizes offline music events for its members. A great opportunity to meet online acquaintances. Vinylly - an app that you can link your Spotify account to, after which Vinylly will search for a matching pair based on your musical tastes. What's most important is that the application gradually monitors changes in your preferences and adjusts search algorithms. Tastebuds - an app that also searches for suitable partners for musical tastes. But the most interesting thing here is integration with other sites. For example, you can register with Tastebuds through Facebook, and the resource will automatically add musicians whose pages you like on the social network to your library. Or you can connect your Last.fm account to provide Tastebuds with comprehensive information about your musical tastes. Snack - a slightly different dating app, but also good for music lovers. It has a very convenient hashtag system, with which you can, among other things, indicate your favorite musicians and genres. Thus, you can very flexibly customize the search for a potential partner or new friends, simply by adding or removing certain tags. Music Passions - a bit outdated, but still quite popular for music lovers. Here you can find out information about your favorite artists, read many interesting things about music, meet and communicate with other music lovers in the chat, etc. The site is a little cluttered and not too intuitive, but overall the solution is pretty interesting. Interesting fact: In 2017, researchers from popular dating service OkCupid conducted a survey of more than 30,000 people to find out what common interests people consider most important for building harmonious relationships. In the first place was music - 37.7%. In second - cinema (27.6%). Third - books (21.7%). And in fourth - sports (13%). You may have a variety of reasons to abandon your usual dating sites and applications. Some people simply do not like this format, some consider it inefficient, and some are not ready to pay a lot of money to use all the functions of the service. But that's not necessary anyway. There are plenty of alternatives to modern dating sites. We'd like to look at the online video chat format. Video chat services are websites or applications whose main function is to connect random users via video. The selection of chat partners is really random, but if you wish, you can help the site to make the search more accurate. For example, Omegle video chat offers a search by interests. But it does not always give the desired effect. Many users simply list "Music" without any clarification. Its rival ChatRandom looks more interesting, specifically its function of themed chat rooms. You can choose a particular room according to your interests and chat with like-minded people. A good choice for those who like to communicate in lots of company. Another interesting alternative to Omegle is video chat with girls OmegleAlternative.com. Its main feature is an exclusive gender filter. Girls must verify their identities, and the system connects men only with verified girls. There is no search by musical genres here, but nothing prevents you from simply turning on your favorite music in the background. You will get a version of the new function in Tinder, only without unnecessary difficulties in connection and additional payment for use. It's easy! Finally, we want to make one important point. There's no need to obsess over any characteristic of a person, whether it be musical preferences, or a genre in cinema or literature. All people are different, and your tastes simply cannot be identical. Be more tolerant of the tastes of people that differ from yours. Otherwise, you simply won't ever be able to find your ideal. At the same time, we advise you not to try to save relationships in which there are no common interests and preferences. Being "on the same page" with someone is wonderful. And when you find such a person, you will immediately feel it.
How can you meet new acquaintances with similar musical interests, if classical dating does not suit you?
Music is truly the food of love
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of musictimes.com
