Music... To Ease Your Mind
Mr. Sasabe (G7) wrote:
I got caught speeding twice in my life and both of
the times it was because I was listening to the music in my car and did
not realize how fast I was going. Maybe it's all about the "training" that
Dr. James has been talking about, but when my favorite music comes out,
I just lose myself!
On a different day, I was driving and realized that
music was off. It was a bit of surprise because I was so calm and relaxed
that it was almost like I was meditating. So I recommend that you guys
sometimes stop listening to the music in your car. It's really different! |
Mr. Sasabe has a good point.
I feel that training yourself to control how you drive while listing to
music can help. It's just too bad that he loses control when his
favorite songs play. He probably just needs a little more training.
I also had similar experiences when driving with the radio off. It
is really different. I also noticed, when I am riding in another
persons car, Music affects the way that they are driving and they way I
feel when I am riding. The music has the ability to make me nervous
or calm.
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Mr. Miyoshi (G7) wrote:
This is also something that I have been thinking about
while taking this class. Does rock music make us more aggressive and slow
methodical music make us a better driver. It is interesting because rock
music makes our hearts beat faster and that might get our adrenaline flowing
and made us lose some of our senses. Just a thought for everyone to think
about.
I know what Akira is talking about. Once in a while
someone turns off the music in my car before I get in and when I realize
that it is off it suprises me. I find myself almost in a meditative state
when the radio is off. I am more calm and am able to control my feelings
more!
I think that this could work both ways. I think that
if you listen to a station that you don't like but doesn't show views that
you are strongly against or go totally against your values then this will
work. If you just don't like the Dj's or music then that's fine. However
if you listen to a station that gets you upset and deals with touchy situations
or points then you could get more aggressive on the road and other things
that drivers do may upset you more. I think I will have to try this before
I give a definite answer. |
Mr. Miyoshi brings up a good
point. When we are calm, we tend to be more aware and more in control
of what we are doing. Sometimes when I am listening to music that
I don't like, I also tend to become irritated, but then I just change the
station until I find a song that I like. I didn't realize that higher
levels of adrenaline make us lose some of our senses.
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Mr. Shintani (G7) wrote:
I really think that music has an effect on the way
a person drives. When I want to drive fast I play a CD that has a powerful
or fast beat. My favorite is the Top Gun sound track. If I want to relax
while driving I would put in a mellow CD like Kalapana or some type of
soft rock. I don't listen to rap so I don't know the effects of listening
to this type of music.
I really think that some music causes bad driving behavior
than others. I can see people being more aggressive after listening to
heavy metal then to classical music. I has been proven in studies that
playing of classical music in malls helps to reduce the amount to violence
in metal than to classical music. I has been proven in studies that playing
of classical music in malls helps to reduce the amount to violence in these
malls. I do this in two ways by mellowing or relaxing people and by staying
away from a certain section of the community that causes a lot of the crimes. |
Mr. Shintani brought up a interesting
fact. I never really noticed that the many malls play classical music.
Many of the stores in the mall that I shop at, however, play more upbeat
music. I guess it could be because I shop in the stores aimed at
young adults. I know that Liberty House and JC Penny's play classical
music, but stores like Town & Country and the Body Shop play Upbeat
music. Like Mr. Shintani, I also play faster music when I want to
drive fast. I know that I don't need it to speed but it does help
me to get into the mood. I usually don't like to speed, but sometimes,
"I just have the need, The need to speed." (Maverick and Goose, Top Gun)
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Web visitor Brian Haimerman
wrote by e-mail: (November 1997)
I want to thank Dr. James & Mr. Shintani for the
feedback. At this time I am taking a History of Rock and Roll class and
am learning of the effect that rock music has in our psyche. We are basically
talking about how we listen to music. The Affective, Cognitive, Psycho-motor,
and Transpersonal. It is almost like a psychology class. So far like I
said in my last message, music does affect our psycho physical. The loudness
and the beat play the biggest part. It has a direct effect on our hearts.
Notice why younger people like loud beating music. It is because it causes
our heart beats to go faster and our blood pressure to rise. For us it
is enjoyable but for older people it is a big no no! The more I learn the
more I'll tell you about it! |
Mr. Haimerman has a very interesting
class! I didn't know that loud & upbeat music causes our heartbeat
and blood pressure to increase. If it's true, I don't agree with
his feelings that this is the reason we enjoy it. I enjoy music because
of the way it makes me feel. I like to listen to fast paced music
as well as slow music. I don't listen to music because it makes my
heart beat faster in fact I don't think that music affects my heart beat
unless I'm dancing to it. Besides, I know a lot of older people who
still love to listen to fast paced music and they still love their Rock'n
Roll.
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Kristin Evert (G7) wrote:
After reading the little excerpt about music and driving
behavior I really started to think about myself and my own driving. If
all of this is right, I should technically be a VERY aggressive, speeding
maniac on the road, because when I drive I like my music loud and usually
fast paced and "singable" (meaning I can sing along). Although I am no
Ms. Perfection, I am more often times getting passed than doing the passing,
as I usually try to stay no more than 10 mph over the speed limit.
On the other hand, however, I could see how slow sappy
music could make me sleepy, even if I like the song. Hmmm... |
I'm glad that there is someone
else out there that can listen to fast and upbeat music without being affected
by it. Loud and upbeat music can help to keep you awake but it doesn't
always make people aggressive. Slow and soft music does have the
power to make some people drowsy, but not all people are affected in the
same way.
I have a friend that always becomes
sleepy when he listens to slow music while driving. When he is not
driving he is not affected by the slow music, but when he is driving he
always changes to a station with a fast song playing. I think that
the slow music makes people more relaxed and it might be a learned response.
Many parents used slow music to put their children to sleep and now, even
though those children are adults the music has the same affect on them.
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Web visitor Mary Ford wrote
by e-mail (November 1997):
After reading your site, I've realized that I've become
much more aggressive in my personality as I've gotten older. Is this a
normal phenomena? By more aggressive, I mean I speak up and assert myself;
and in the car -- well I've never got a ticket, but I do admit, I swear
-- not good. I was aware of my tension in the car, so for several years
now, I've used a melodious tape to mellow myself out when I'm driving --
Rain Melody, beautiful flute music, Ghandharva Veda music (supposed to
bring harmony into the atmosphere). It seems to work for me. |
In reaction to Mrs. Ford's question,
I feel that it is not normal for a person to become more aggressive as
they become older. I feel that it is just the opposite. When
we age we tend to become more relaxed and more in control of our reactions
and to our feelings. We learn to control our aggressiveness.
I do agree that music has the ability to calm people down. However,
I feel that you must believe that it will, or it won't.
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Tami Hshimoto (G7) wrote:
I just wanted to respond to marshall's message on
how music affects my driving. When I'm driving, music makes me relaxed
and calm. I feel that when I'm driving in traffic the music that I listen
to helps me to feel less anxious and frustrated. I'm able to tolerate more
unsafe drivers by letting them get a head of me. Music is an awesome way
to relax when I'm driving. |
There are many times that I also
have been in a situation that I was listening to slow and mellow music
and someone did something that would normally get me upset. It didn't
make me upset because, I was already in a happy mood and it didn't really
bother me. I just brush it off and let it go. I agree with
Ms. Hashimoto that, "Music is an awesome way to relax."
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Cris Burlem (G7) wrote:
I have been in the drivers frustration seat many a
time as many of us have. My solution to claming down is actually the opposite.
I find that by turning off the radio I am able to relax when I am in an
uptight mood to begin with. I find that turning off the radio helps me
concentrate on the road and what is going on. It is at these times that
I think music actually irritates me?!? |
I wonder if Mr. Burlem tried
listening to slow music. Never the less, as you can see, music still
affects the way that he drives. Without music he can relax, therefore,
with music he is not relaxed. Music still affects him, but in an
opposite way.
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Wilfred Lee (G7) wrote last
semester:
I definitely agree that music has a role in how you
drive. Fast music, and loud music, makes you more excited, and makes your
heart pump faster. In turn making you drive faster. Slow music relaxes
you and you get more mellow. If you don't believe it, then ever tried driving
really fast with classical music. It just doesn't work. maybe the solution
is to make everyone listen to classical music. I did hear an interesting
fact, babies in the womb become calm children when mothers listen to classical
music. Maybe classical music is our solution????
I'm a townie so I consider myself fortunate. I live
in Kahala so I drive for 5 minutes and get to school. I often ask my friend
that has to drive from Pearl City to get to school by 8 how he does it.
He just says he has to deal with it and has accepted it as part of his
life. What i did to try to alleviate his road rage is make a tape of his
favorite songs. My theory is when he listens to his favorite songs then
he doesn't notice the traffic as much, and time passes by more quickly.
I sing (sometimes) in the car. That makes the time fly by faster. I also
enjoy it and it takes my mind off the congested road. Could this be a possible
solution for the commuters to school? |
I have tried Mr. Lee's theory
and it works! Like his friend, I also commute everyday to school
and home. I get stuck in the morning traffic everyday and traffic
no longer bothers me. (As long as I know that I am not going to be
too late.) When I listen to songs that I like on my radio I just
sit and listen to the music. It's like I'm no longer in traffic,
being stuck in traffic doesn't bother me. I also sing out loud, sometimes
I think the people around must think that I am nuts, but I usually don't
care. I'd rather them think I'm nuts then for me to be pissed off
because I'm stuck in traffic.
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Does
Music Affect Driving Behavior?
To most of us, the way we drive is affected by what type
of music is playing in our automobiles. I believe that there are
many factors, in music, that affect the way that we drive. First
of all, there are so many different music types, everything from "classical"
to "hard rock." Next, there is music volume. Finally, there
is music Tempo (speed).
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Music
Types
Sure, different types of music can
affect different people in different ways. Many people feel that
certain types of music are directly correlated with bad driving.
I do not agree with that. Blaming music types for bad driving or
acts of violence is totally silly! We are all responsible for our
own actions, we can not blame a song for what we do. Besides, every
music type has their range of songs. Even "heavy metal' bands have
their ballads.(slow songs)
This is a sample of the variety
of music that people can listen to. (midi)
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Music
Volume
I love a good stereo system!
You know the kind that you can hear from a block away. The effect
of music drastically improves when it sounds like you are at a concert
but, it can also drastically affect the way you drive.
Sometimes when I am enjoying
my own "personal concert," while driving, my attention to the road and
traffic decrease. Sometimes I get so caught up in a song that I start
singing and playing the "air guitar" and notice that I am not paying attention
to the way I'm driving. Well, that is one reason, music volume can
affect your driving. Another reason is that, it also can impair the
sharpness of your rearview mirror. When I listen to my stereo at
loud volume my rear view mirror vibrates and it is almost impossible to
see anything with it. Your ability to hear an emergency vehicle is
also greatly lowered. There have been many times that an emergency
vehicle, with its siren balsting, was nearby and it didn't hear or see
them until they were right behind me.
I feel that listening to music
at loud volumes can be very hazardous while driving. Despite the
dangers, I love listening to loud music and I still will listen to music
at loud volumes when I am driving.
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Music
Tempo
I feel that the tempo of music has the most impact or
strong influence on the way we drive. Let me start with a question.
Can you consciously or actively listen to a slow song like, "Memories"
by Elvis, and race someone? It's pretty hard. Isn't there a
strong urge for you to change the station and play something more upbeat?
Changing the music tempo can also be a technique you can use to slow yourself
down. Try this, next time you find yourself driving recklessly
or in a hurry, try to listen to a slow tempo song. In fact keep a
cassette or CD with mellow music on it, just for you to use when you are
feel that you are in a rush.
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Past
Generations Reports
I have searched through the past
generations and I found these reports on Music and Driving to be very interesting.
Mr.
Shitani's Report: A lot can be learned from Ryan's Report.
He talks about the effect of not listening to music while driving and how
music can distract you as a driver. He has a very good conclusion and I
think that you'll enjoy his report.
Ms.Naranjo's
Report: Czarina had a very organized structure. However, the table
was a little hard to read because of the background. But other than
that her report was excellent! I especially liked the way that she
had separate pages for each topic.
Ms.
Lumabao's Report: Grace had a very nice background. Grace
and I have very similar feelings about music and driving and so do
most of the other students. She mentions, "Music
affects people in many different ways. The presence of music alone may
make others more excited, while helping to calm others who would otherwise
be nervous or agitated without it. I also believe that different types
of music play a strong role in the way we react to it. For some people
classical, mellow music is calming. For others, it may not matter whether
it's classical or rock." I feel that
music affect different people in different ways. It all depends on
the individual how music will affect them.
Ms.
Lau's Report mentions that, "Music
is sound and sound is the concept of noise. Many people abused the use
of music as an entertainment. Music is for people to enjoy when they are
at home or driving in the car. Some people listen to music at such a high
frequency and amplitude that it is a disturbance to the driver as well
as other drivers." This
was a reaction to a chapter in Rothe's book.
Ms.
Hattori's Report also shows similar views on how music can affect different
people in different ways. This is her reaction to Mr.
Miyoshi's message. "Rock
music enjoyed by some may create that adrenaline rush and cause faster
driving. However, that same effect may be created by classical music. Hearing
favorite classical music may also elicit a similar rush of excitement.
I do think though that music with a faster and desirable beat can initiate
faster driving. I feel that music affects all of us in different ways and
that it depends on how important music is." As
you can see by everyones reports, music seems to affect all of us in different
ways.
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"Beyond
Traffic Safety" Rothe
Well, after searching through the
book, I couldn't find a chapter involving music and driving. Like
the others from the past generations I also shall put my own little part
about music and driving into the book.
In chapter 9 "The Speed Ethos,"
Rothe talks about how technology has induced the social speed. I
feel that Rothe could add in a few paragraphs on how music affects the
speed that we drive. On page 137 he mentions how fast food restaurants
like McDonald's are a modern phenomenon concerned with social speed.
He could add a paragraph mentioning that music has also evolved into a
faster paced style that affects the way that we drive. As time goes
on music has changed in many ways. Music of the younger generations
have become very fast and energetic. Cars are bulit to go faster
and they also are built with better stereo systems. Many of the commercials
that advertise cars often include someone listening to music and driving.
The music that is played during these commercials are also on the upbeat
side. Somehow along the way, music and fast cars have combined together.
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My
Search on ERIC and Uncover
After doing some research on Music
and Driving through the use of ERIC
and Uncover I discovered
some of these interesting topics.
Arnett, J. The Soundtrack of Recklessness: Musical
Preferences among Adolescents. Journal of Adolescents Research, 1992, 7,
313-31.
Ballard, Mary E.,Coates, Steven. The Immediate
Effects of Homicidal, Suicidal, and Nonviolent Heavy Metal and Rap Songs
on the Moods of College Students. Youth & Society; v27 n2 p148-68 Dec
1995.
Edwards, E.D. and Singletary, M.W. Life's Soundtracks:
Relationships between Radio Music Subcultures and Listeners' Belief Systems.
Southern Speech Communication Journal, 1989, 54, 144-58.
Hansen, Christine Hall; Hansen, Renold D. The
Influence of Sex and Violence on the Appeal of Rock Music Videos. Communication
Research; v17 n2 p212-34 Apr 1990.
Iversen, Janet. The Effect of Music On The Personal
Relevance of Lyrics. Psychology: A Journal of Human Behavior, V26 N2-3
P15-22 1989.
Lehtonen, K. and Shaughnessy, M. Music as a Treatment
Channel of Adolescent Destructivity, 1994.
Lewis, Barbara E. Schmidt, Charles P. Listeners'
Response to Music as a Function of Personality Type. Journal of Research
in Music Education; v39 n4 p311-21 Win 1991.
Lester, David; Whipple, Melissa. Music Preference,
Depression, Suicidal Preoccupation, and Personality: Comment on Stack and
Gundlach's Papers. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior; v26 n1 p68-70
Spr. 1996 .
Lester, D. and Whipple, M. Music Preference, Depression,
Suicidal Preoccupation, and Personality: Comment on Stack and Gundlach's
Papers. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 1996, 26, 68-70.
Miller, Marilyn A. The Effects of Music Videos
on Adolescent Meaning Construction and Attitudes toward Physical Violence
as a Method of Conflict Resolution.
Ogata, S. Human EEG responses to classical music and simulated white
noise: effects of musical loudness component on consciousness. Perceptual
and Motor Skill, June 1995, v80, n3, p770 (12).
Spinney, L. Pump down the volume. (the effect of music on driving) New
Scientist, July 19, 1997, v155, n2091, p22 (1).
Took, K.J. and Weiss, D.S. The Relationship between
Heavy Metal and Rap Music and Adolescent Turmoil: Real or Artifact? Adolescence,
1994, 29, 613-21.
Wells, Alan; Hakanen, Ernest A. The Emotional
Use of Popular Music by Adolescents. Journalism Quarterly; v68 n3 p445-54
Fall 1991; 1991.
Youngjohn, J.R., and Others. Test-Retest Reliability of computerized,
Everyday Memory Measures and Traditional Memory Tests. 1991, v90.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, what we listen
to while we are driving can drastically affect the way that we drive.
Please feel free to try some of the different techniques described in this
report. If you feel that you need to improve on your driving, try
listening to different types of music. You'll be amazed what a change
in music could do for you. I tried it and it made me a better driver.
Music is like a drug, it can influence the way you drive, however, you
are in control of the music, your car, and your mind. Don't
let it music control you!
For all of you Students of the future generations,
I hope that my report on Music and Driving will help you with your reports.
And if not... I surely hope that my report has changed you in some way
and I hope that you will try some of the techniques mentioned and become
a better (music listening) driver. Hopefully, by the time you read
this report, more articles and journals will be available for you to use.
Aloha and Mahalo.
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My
Reactions On My Classmates Reports
The other students in my class did
an excellent job on their reports. Mr.
Oba's Report was really good. It was very
informative and Ms.
Stone-Webb's Report was also very good. I shall finish my reactions
when their reports are completed.
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