Music as a tool for mood regulation: the role of absorption vs. Mindfulness

Abstract

The aim of this research was to determine the relationship between mindfulness, absorption in music, and emotion regulation through music in people who have different tastes in music. The research started from the assumption that absorption in music means the possibility of deep “absorption” in musical experience and thus a greater possibility of emotion regulation through music. In contrast to absorption, mindfulness as full awareness of the current moment or a state of consciousness in which attention is intentionally focused on one’s own experiences (bodily sensations, senses, thoughts, or emotions) could make it difficult to indulge in a musical experience. In order to test these assumptions, a study was conducted on 252 participants in late adolescence and young adulthood age who, in addition to using instruments designed to examine absorption in music, mindfulness, and emotion regulation through music, assessed their musical taste. The results showed a positive correlation between the preferences for different music styles and absorption in music, as well as between absorption in music and different strategies for regulating emotions through music. Mindfulness, on the other hand, proved to be negatively correlated with both absorption in music and most strategies for regulating mood through music. Conducted regression analyses showed that in addition to controlling musical taste, absorption in music is a positive predictor of all emotion regulation strategies, while mindfulness is a negative predictor of discharging negative emotions and forgetting unwanted thoughts and feelings through music.