Search for Science Fair Projects

1000 Science Fair Projects with Complete Instructions

Human Behavior Science Fair Project

Music Genres and Mood Shifts

Medium
Music Genres and Mood Shifts | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Can the type of music playing in the background shift your mood? You divide 30 participants into three groups of ten. Each group sits in a room for one hour listening to a different genre: cheerful, somber, or heavy metal. Afterward, each person fills out a mood survey that scores their emotional state. The scores sort into three categories: happy, somber, or agitated. The results show that most participants scored in the mood category matching the music they heard. Seven out of ten in the cheerful group scored happy. Six out of ten in the heavy metal group scored agitated.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that the type of music being played in the background will affect the temporary disposition of the participants.

Method & Materials

You will separate the participants into 3 groups of 10 persons each. You will play cheerful music for one group, somber music for another group, and heavy metal music for the third group. After each group has completed a survey form, you will collect the forms and total the points for each participant.
You will need 30 participants, each 12 years old, a cheerful, happy music CD, a somber music CD, a heavy-metal music CD, a CD player, a classroom, tables and chairs.

Results

It was observed that the temporary disposition of the participants was somewhat altered according to the type of music they had been listening to before taking the survey.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it shows how music can affect our moods and emotions.

Also Consider

Variations of this experiment could include finding out the effects of specific genres of music on mood, such as classical, jazz or country music. Another variation could be to compare the effects of music on different genders and age groups.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.

Related videos

These videos explain the science behind this project and demonstrate key concepts used in the experiment.
Share this Science Project:

Related Science Fair Project Ideas

Expert Opinions and Taste Choices
Run a taste test where some people hear an expert opinion first and discover whether it changes what they choose.
Medium
Color Popularity in Daily Life
Survey the colors of cars and clothes, then ask people their favorite color and see if the answers match.
Medium
Eye Contact in Familiar and Unfamiliar Settings
Observe people in two different settings and count how often they make or avoid eye contact with those around them.
Medium
Share this Science Project: