The search for happiness is an integral part of human life but who knew it could be found so readily at a music concert? According to an Australian study conducted with 1000 participants, regular concert-goers are significantly happier than people who rarely visit live music events (1).
The survey was fairly simple in its format – people were asked how satisfied they were with their life and how regularly they went to live concerts. Regular concert-goers reported significantly higher happiness and satisfaction.
Feelings of Happiness are Contagious
The study “explore[d] the connection between habitual music engagement and subjective wellbeing,” with ‘habitual music engagement’ being loosely related to anything from full-week music festivals to a night at the club.
The study found the communal element, which you’d experience from going to a live event as the most important reason for people feeling happy. It’s the part where you feel joy in a crowd of people sharing the same feeling and essentially experience the best bit of being human.
Going to Concerts Can Help You Live Longer
This study isn’t the only one to delve into the positive effects of concert-going. For example, one study conducted by the company O2 and Goldsmith’s University Associate Lecturer Patrick Fagan (2) reached the conclusion that going to concerts regularly helps you to live longer.
Granted, O2 is not an unbiased source but the study concluded that going to a live music event even for just 20-30 minutes “increased participants feelings of wellbeing by 21%—with key markers across the happiness spectrum showing increases, including feelings of self-worth (+25%) and closeness to others (+25%) whilst mental stimulation climbed by an impressive 75%.”
Even if we account for the study’s inherent unreliability because of who financed it, the results are credible – physical activity, mental stimulation, and communal experiences are all things that increase one’s wellbeing and overall health and expected longevity.
So, in conclusion, even if going to live concerts, festivals or music clubs isn’t your preferred way of experiencing music, there’s quite a bit of evidence to suggest that maybe you should consider doing it at least every once in a while.