Does music alter our emotions or is it all in our head?

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Music, it defines how we live to a certain extent, allowing us to rejoice and come together as one to celebrate a trait that has been going throughout history, but do the synchronized components of what make up a song or a musical piece actually as an indirect result affect the way we think  and or change our emotional state?

It would somewhat seem that way, though there are likely to be some people who would disagree and just regard music as an everyday thing and not care about the psychological being behind the music in question. Music ranges from the softer and older kinds such as folk music, classical and the more traditional kind to the more modern, extreme and invariably complex algorithms that make up the genres of metal music, electronic music and nay say the total disarray of 'noise'.

But can music not only change the way we think, but also solve the endless challenges we face throughout life in the sense that can it conquer our fears, our doubts, our deepest regions of what is known as our subconsciousness? The fact being that we all like different styles of music is apparent, those that tend to listen to metal will tend to shun club and rave music, those that listen to country and jazz may feel rap is repulsive, those that listen to the charts may think  everything outside of the mainstream chart music is awful, we all have different perceptions, but is the underlying fact that we actually subconsciously admire all types of music and yet in our more psychological state and human state admit we despise certain music types?

Folk Music seemingly takes the form of having a calming and cultural presence, one that may to the human brain be appealing as relaxing and chilling - strains of this including Folk Metal and Folk Rock may change slightly in the sense that being heavier they might entice an increase of feeling upbeat and more connected to the older styles of folk found within the days of the Gauls, the Slavs, the Vikings etc - however bands like Tyr from the Faroe Islands of whom sing in English, Faroese and Icelandic may alter the latter perception.

Electronic music that focuses on trance, dubstep, industrial, synth and styles similar to the aforementioned tend to place a party feeling on the mind, the sense of adrenalin kicking in and a more happier feeling being instilled, however at times this can also seemingly aid in the mind thinking through complex and challenging tasks such as coursework as it tends to unlock the free thinking part of the mind and thus allowing the individual to wander endlessly through the roaming cyber-fields of the internet. Rave music, drum and bass and club music has a happy and exciting feel to it that gives the brain the feeling of releasing endorphins that make you feel in love, that sort of sensual kick in the music gives the electric feeling.

Metal music being the heaviest and more technically challenging style of music compensates a plethora of different music styles, folk, electronic music, pop, rap, etc - it lashes itself with these genres and so fans of the pure music just mentioned can easily relate to it. However the notion is that the more extreme and more brutal the music is, the angrier it is - resonating on sub genres like Deathcore, Brutal Death Metal, Black Metal, etc, that at times provoke mixed reactions. Power Metal for instance has a happy and adventurous feel to it whereas Black and Doom Metal drag out depression and sorrow that makes the listener feel down, all depending upon how they react to the music. Hardcore and similar genres for instance give the sense of unruliness and control, driving the listener forward to potential anarchism.

The fact being behind all music is that it affects us one way or another, sometimes for the good sometimes for the bad, but the harsh reality is, sometimes the most joyous music can be the most dangerous music.

"Music has saved lives if you ask me, music can help people out of dark times and meaningful lyrics that people can relate to can help people realize that their situation isn't all that bad, and some songs are so stupidly funny it will definitely put the listener in a good mood 😊 (Eminem - 'ass like that' for example). I personally listen to all types of music, dependent on what mood I want to be in, if I feel angry, I listen to heavy deathcore to vent my anger, if I want to feel happy and buzzy, some softer music works. For me personally and I'm sure for many others, my music choice changes with my mood, and it's a good way of controlling my emotions and my anger especially, I'm a black metal drummer with Dark Theory, but I often listen to pop and rap as well as metal, music is there to be enjoyed and to sink deep into you, right to your core" - Sam Field (Dark Theory)