Mood music

By Jonathan Openshaw 19 : 02 : 2016 Apple : Sonos : Music

Global – New research commissioned by Sonos and Apple Music reveals the emotional impact of music on people’s relationships and mood.

Business intelligence firm United Minds polled 30,000 consumers from across the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Australia
Apple Music is committed to human connection, as seen in its use of human playlist curators

Music can be an intensely personal experience, but also has the power to bring people together. This insight is at the forefront of a major piece of quantitative and qualitative research commissioned by Sonos and Apple Music to mark a new collaboration.

Over half of those surveyed across eight markets said that music had no impact on their relationships. To put this claim to the test, United Minds conducted a qualitative study of 30 homes over two weeks. Participants wore Apple Watches that measured their heart rate, number of steps taken, acceleration, movement and calories burned, and iBeacons were placed to track their location. During the first week they were instructed not to listen to music out loud. In the second week they could play as much music as they wanted to.

The research found that when music was played out loud, people were 15% more likely to laugh together and 18% more likely to say ‘I love you’. Couples reported 66% more intimacy and overall positivity rose by 16%.

The Big Picture

Backlash Culture, our forthcoming Spring/Summer 2016 Trend Briefing, will examine the emotional avenues being made available to brands through new technology. See here for more details.