When I hear an uplifting or moving song, I have this intense desire to move, to run, and feel the energy, no matter where I am, or what I am doing.
I find music very moving, and at any given time, I am hypothetically in love with a small number of songs. They are like drugs to me – they sit at the top of my playlist, and hearing them almost gives me an emotional high. I listen to them while I work, and I listen to them while I run, and on the go, I either outwardly or mentally sing them to myself. After some time, however, the songs lose their ability to give me that euphoric high. I still enjoy listening to them, but it’s more rare to get that same feeling of hearing the song and wanting to move, and by this time, I’m usually taken away with new songs. Is this not a lot like love? What is the connection? Do we adapt to different levels or sources of emotion?
A beautiful idea – studied by a professor right here at Duke: have self compassion – so when everything goes wrong, be more kind to yourself. I am inclined to beat myself up, and point the critical hand inward when anything goes wrong. The idea that I might be better to myself, as I might act towards a friend having a bad day, was really awing to me.
Suggested Citation:
Sochat, Vanessa. "My Heart Beats to Music." @vsoch (blog), 26 Jun 2008, https://vsoch.github.io/2008/my-heart-beats-to-music/ (accessed 16 Apr 24).