Feel the Beat, Lift Your Mood

When was the last time a song made you feel truly alive? If you're in need of more energy, feeling down, or just want to hit reset, why not press play on something you love? Let the music give your brain a well-deserved recharge.

Research reveals that your favorite songs activate the brain’s pleasure center, triggering a flood of dopamine and serotonin. The better the song, the more your brain bathes in these feel-good chemicals—resulting in a high that’s strikingly similar to certain, more intense experiences 😳.

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The Science Behind Music’s Magic

Our favorite songs act like a key to the brain’s pleasure circuits, releasing a symphony of feel-good chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. The more we connect with the music, the stronger the wave of bliss we experience.

But it doesn’t stop there—when we listen to songs tied to personal memories, they light up the prefrontal cortex, stirring up feelings of nostalgia and joy that can transport us back to cherished moments in an instant. Music is truly a science-backed gateway to happiness!

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The Magic of Teenage Tunes The music we fall in love with during our teenage years holds a special kind of magic. Between the ages of 12 and 22, our brains undergo rapid neurological development, and the songs we listen to during this time become deeply imprinted. Thanks to a blend of hormonal changes, brain growth, and the way music ties into our evolving social identities, these tracks form strong emotional bonds that stay with us for life. It’s no wonder the songs from our youth feel like timeless classics!

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Take 7 minutes to ReWild.

1. Get out whatever app, device, thing you play music on. For many of us that’s Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music or Pandora.
2. Start by searching for the 5 favorite songs you listed above. Add them to your own playlist.
3. Now let those songs trigger you into other favorites. Your streaming service may prompt you with similar songs – review them to find other songs you love.
4. Keep going until you have an hour or so of music. Great job! You know have a playlist that’s as powerful as medication. Scientifically. The next time you feel down, or have a headache, or need a boost – reach for this playlist instead of a drink or an advil!

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Pro Tip: Go through a list of all the hits for the years when you were 12 - 22. The songs you fell in love with during these years have the greatest amount of neuro-chemical power for you. Just google: “billboard hottest 100 [and the year when you were 12]” etc. Example: “billboard hottest 100 1990” - view results

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