Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken to mitigate its impact (e.g., confinement orders) have affected people's lives in profound ways that would have been unimagable only months before the pandemic began. Media reports from the height of the pandemic's initial international surge frequently highlighted that many people were engaging in music-related activities (from singing and dancing to playing music from balconies and attending virtual concerts) to help them cope with the strain of the pandemic. Our first goal in this study was to investigate changes in music-related habits due to the pandemic. We also investigated whether engagement in distinct music-related activities (singing, listening, dancing, etc.) was associated with individual differences in musical reward, music perception, musical training, or emotional regulation strategies. To do so, we collected detailed (~1 h-long) surveys during the initial peak of shelter-in-place order implementation (May–June 2020) from over a thousand individuals across different Countries in which the pandemic was especially devastating at that time: the USA, Spain, and Italy. Our findings indicate that, on average, people spent more time in music-related activities while under confinement than they had before the pandemic. Notably, this change in behavior was dependent on individual differences in music reward sensitivity, and in emotional regulation strategies. Finally, the type of musical activity with which individuals engaged was further associated with the degree to which they used music as a way to regulate stress, to address the lack of social interaction (especially the individuals more concerned about the risk of contracting the virus), or to cheer themselves up (especially those who were more worried about the pandemic consequences). Identifying which music-related activities have been particularly sought for by the population as a means for coping with such heightened uncertainty and stress, and understanding the individual differences that underlie said propensities are crucial to implementing personalized music-based interventions that aim to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms.
Highlights
During March–April 2020, as shelter-in-place orders went into effect in many countries, media reports showed people from Italy and Spain singing and playing music on their balconies as a means of boosting morale during the lockdown
As several types of musical behaviors can evoke a variety of emotions, people may engage in musical activities to address a variety of regulatory needs, such as achieving or maintaining a positive affective state, reducing or diverting attention from negative affective states, or finding solace in music (Juslin and Vastfjall, 2008; Rentfrow, 2012; Saarikallio, 2012)
Music is commonly used across cultures to achieve and maintain a positive affective state (Juslin and Vastfjall, 2008; Rentfrow, 2012; Zatorre and Salimpoor, 2013)
Summary
During March–April 2020, as shelter-in-place orders went into effect in many countries, media reports showed people from Italy and Spain singing and playing music on their balconies as a means of boosting morale during the lockdown. While some individuals may enjoy listening to highly emotional excerpts, others may be sensitive to dancing or music’s ability to regulate their mood Interindividual differences in these various facets of musical reward can provide important insights in determining the activities that drive the most pleasure for each individual and, personalize the optimal strategy to mitigate psychological distress (e.g., depression). The consistent use of cognitive reappraisal correlates with healthy patterns of affect and with increased well-being, as well as with ameliorated depression or anxiety (John and Gross, 2004; Moore et al, 2008; Cutuli, 2014), including within the context of music-use for emotion regulation (Västfjäll et al, 2012; Chin and Rickard, 2014) In this regard, music-related activities promoting cognitive reappraisal regulation strategies may be beneficial to mitigate mood-related disorders
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