The Positive Emotional Effects of Chinese Traditional Music on the College Students

Abstract

The therapeutic capacity of Chinese traditional music for addressing anxiety, distress and stress has not been well studied. It is a noninvasive music psychotherapy method, often practiced in Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU) and proves to be quite effective and lasting. Although extreme metal music was reported done well with anger processing, individuals in psychological counselling mentioned that listening to metal music especially at all time everyday could cause psychological symptoms such as stress and anxiety. The purpose is to clarify the positive effect of Chinese traditional music which has had a long history. Students can choose healthy music for better adjusting their mood to be their own best psychological counselors. Chinese traditional music will be their own psychological tool to get a better college life. 60 participants from freshman to sophomore have been recruited, in which 53 participants completed the study. The 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale was used as a pre- and post-intervention measure in this study. SPSS Statistical Analysis Software was used for pared-samples T-test. The result shows that the students’ psychological mean scores are significantly reduced ( P = 0.004) after listening to Chinese traditional music. Differences in pre-MT (BMT) and post-MT (AMT) scores indicated significant reductions in the mean scores of anxiety ( P = 0.002), and stress ( P = 0.015). The mean score of depression ( P = 0.089) is also lowered from 38.1887 to 34.9811, which is not a so significant reduction and the reason needs to be explored. However, the study indicates that MT with Chinese traditional music can effectively achieve positive effect and improve mental health level on our campus.