Summary: A new study reveals that people worldwide turn to song lyrics as emotional anchors during crises, such as the COVID-19 lockdowns. Researchers found that lyrical themes—like loss, belonging, and reflection—played a far greater role in emotional coping than the music’s tempo or harmony.
Songs with themes of life, death, and the soul helped listeners process grief, combat loneliness, and maintain emotional balance. These findings could inform therapeutic practices, public mental health initiatives, and even music streaming algorithms designed to support emotional well-being.
Key Facts:
- Lyrical Themes Matter: Listeners chose songs with lyrics about loss, belonging, and reflection to cope with sadness and loneliness.
- Music Features Less Relevant: Acoustic elements like tempo or key had no consistent link to emotional goals.
- Therapeutic Potential: Insights could enhance therapeutic practices, memorial services, and personalized emotional playlists.
Source: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
A new study from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem sheds light on how people around the world turn to music—specifically its lyrics—as a tool for navigating emotional distress, grief, and isolation during times of crisis.
The study, led by Prof. Renana Peres and Adi Levy from the Business School and Prof. Roni Granot from the Department of Musicology at Hebrew University, reveals that the words in songs play a central role in helping individuals regulate their emotions.
Whether to process sorrow, feel less alone, or maintain emotional balance, listeners turn to lyrics that reflect their internal states.
Analyzing more than 2,800 “coping songs” chosen by people from 11 countries during the first COVID-19 lockdown, the researchers identified clear patterns between lyrical themes and the emotional goals of listeners.
Songs containing lyrics about loss, life and death, belonging, or soul were consistently selected by those struggling with sadness, loneliness, or a desire for personal reflection.
The study, published in Frontiers of Psychology, found that people seeking distraction from a crisis were more likely to choose songs with themes of loss, while those trying to alleviate loneliness were drawn to lyrics evoking belonging.
In contrast, the acoustic features of the songs—such as tempo, harmony, or key—showed no consistent connection to emotional goals. We may use the lyrics as an anchor, but the way they resonate within each of us emotionally through music is individual.
“This research offers a new perspective on how people use music not just for entertainment, but as a meaningful tool for emotional self-regulation,” said Prof. Granot.
“Lyrics embedded in music often give voice to emotions that are difficult to express—grief, remembrance, and hope among them.”
The authors emphasize that while music in general supports emotional coping, lyrics carry particular psychological weight. The findings offer potential applications for therapeutic practices, music streaming algorithms, and public well-being initiatives.
“This is the first large-scale empirical study to link lyrical content to emotional coping strategies,” said Prof. Peres.
“At a time when many are dealing with personal and collective trauma, understanding the emotional power of lyrics can help us better support mental health—both individually and as a society.”
The researchers suggest that the findings could influence how music is used in therapeutic settings, memorial services, and even in designing algorithms for personalized playlists that support emotional well-being.
About this music, emotion, and psychology research news
Author: Renana Peres
Source: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Contact: Renana Peres – Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Lyrics do matter: how “coping songs” relate to well-being goals. The COVID pandemic case” by Renana Peres et al. Frontiers in Psychology
Abstract
Lyrics do matter: how “coping songs” relate to well-being goals. The COVID pandemic case
Introduction: In stressful times, people often listen to “coping songs” that help them reach emotional well-being goals. This paper is a first attempt to map the connection between an individual’s well-being goals and their chosen coping song.
Methods: We assembled a large-scale dataset of 2,804 coping songs chosen by individuals from 11 countries during COVID-19 lockdown. Individuals reported their well-being goals and also named their coping song.
We applied an unsupervised topic-modeling approach to identify 15 self-emerging topics from the song lyrics, and connected them to well-being goals.
Results: We found significant association between certain lyrics’ topics and specific well-being goals. This association weakened for participants for which music is highly important. No significant patterns were found for the songs’ acoustic features.
Discussion: This paper posits that song lyrics, despite their brevity and presumed simplicity, can be meaningful for self-regulation of emotional states, and should receive more attention by researchers and streaming services alike.
