Spotify as a Mental Health Tool

I’ve been spending more and more time lately on Spotify, listening to great tunes, particularly as I phase towards slumber.

Spotify’s AI algorithm is quite appealing because it can figure out what songs you like the most, based on your ongoing and prior music preferences.

While some people find it creepy, I find it particularly amazing because I don’t have to spend millions of hours finding that new and amazing song. Instead, it sends me the songs and playlists, based on what I already like, and I end up discovering a whole new culture of music.

When it was March, it was the sounds of nature, particularly the sounds of the rain, that resonated with me. It would lull me to a sense of calm as I reached an insane level of distress calls from the crisis line.

When it was the end of August, it was musical tracks to various movies and TV shows that I finally got around to watching because there was a break in my graduate school schedule.

Spotify also houses hundreds of songs, podcasts, and playlists dedicated to mental health. Most recently, they launched the Daily Wellness mix of motivational music and podcasts.

Yes, self-care is important. Yes, it’s great that Spotify has the awareness of its ability to harness music to improve overall mood. But does this feature truly resonate with mental health?

I would be inclined to say yes. Content produced by Spotify is often curated and highlights a great coping strategy, especially as music can help reduce stress and increase cognitive load.

In sum, music can appeal to us because it resonates and validates how we feel. If we were in the deep recesses of depression, the guttural cries of a lost soul can put us in the mental space to acknowledge that others are going through the same things as us. We feel solidarity with them. We realize that we are not alone.

Regardless of why you might listen to music, music can influence our overall well-being, and websites like Spotify make it increasingly accessible to do so.