Is premature listening to Christmas songs harmful to your health? Experts talk about the consequences

With the arrival of autumn, Christmas decorations and ornaments begin to appear on store shelves. Radio stations are also starting to enrich their lists with songs that introduce the Christmas atmosphere. According to experts, such a phenomenon has a negative impact on health and may have disastrous consequences.

Christmas songs have a bad effect on listeners. The expert lists the negative consequences

In 2018, the British newspaper interviewed Dr. Peter Christenson, professor of rhetoric and media studies at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, about the impact on the health and well-being of listeners. As the expert explains, premature listening to this type of music may have negative effects. Melodies evoke specific thoughts and feelings, and periods by nature cause stress and a sense of burdensome pressure and obligation. “What’s toxic about the holidays is that at this time of year people are expected to read their minds and give them the perfect gifts,” he explained, citing the results of a 2006 survey conducted by the American Psychological Association. At that time, as many as 61% of respondents said that they experienced increased stress at this time of the year, which, as is commonly known, has a number of unfavorable side effects.

Shops and shopping malls bombard customers with Christmas songs. This is a deliberate action

It turns out that Christmas music not only causes stress, but also influences the choices made when shopping. Already in 2003, the University of Washington conducted a study on a group of customers who listened to Christmas songs while visiting a store. It turned out that they spent much more money than those who were accompanied by music completely unrelated to this period. – If music had no function, they wouldn’t play it, argues Dr. Christenson, who believes that this is one of the ways to attract customers and achieve marketing goals. Not only customers but especially employees feel their well-being when they listen to the same playlist over and over for more than 2 months. – When we hear a song we like for the first time, we start listening to it more and more. However, there is a limit, at some point irritation and boredom appear – he explained, calling this phenomenon the “effect of simple exposure”.

This is also confirmed by an analysis conducted some time ago by the Tamp Bay Times. It shows that in high-budget department stores, which include, among others, Best Bay, Kmart and Sears, Christmas hits are already being heard two months before Christmas. “I personally love the holidays and Christmas music, but when I compare it to Christmas lights, there is a point where you put them up and then you take them down,” Dr. Christenson concluded.