Can Music Affect Teens in a Positive Way?

The kind of music your teens listen to can have a positive influence on their social and psychological well-being. Music intensifies teens' moods, enhances their emotional states and furnishes them with information about the adult life. It helps them appreciate their lives by improving their understanding of modern society. Although parents can have a hard time drawing positives from today's pop or rap music, music can have helpful effects teens can use to better their lives.

Improves Mood

The unpredictable behavior of adolescents can make it challenging for parents to manage their teens’ emotional development. When they can’t get along with your discipline techniques, they often turn to music to calm them down. Teens can listen to music at anytime on their Internet-enabled smartphones or iPods to improve their moods. A 2012 Nielsen Music 360 Report affirms that 64 percent of teens in the U.S. listen to music through YouTube. When schoolwork gets tough, teens listen to music to ease their frustrations and gather the energy to face their day-to-day challenges. Be part of your teen's life by suggesting some inspirational tunes she can listen to.

Social Life

A teen's social life is an important aspect of his development. He wants to put his social skills to work by meeting new people and making new friends. Music is often the link between teens and a fulfilling social life. If your teens are socially inactive, encouraging them to attend music lessons can help improve their social skills. According to a 2011 report published in the Journal of Music Therapy, music therapy intervention is effective in improving social competence in children and adolescents with social deficits 2. Allow your teen more time to attend musical classes to help improve his social skills.

Learning Skills

Teens often find it challenging to understand mathematical concepts, which seem to gain complexity each school day. However, music can help teens improve their learning abilities. Cindy Zhan, of Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, notes that, when children are trained in music at a young age, they tend to improve their skills in math. In a 2002 report, Zhan asserts that upbeat music targets a specific area of the brain -- the cerebral cortex-- to stimulate the use of spatial-temporal reasoning, which is useful in mathematical thinking. Although music might not be the magic answer to success in math, it can improve your teen's grades.

Teen-Parent Relationships

During adolescence, it is common for kids and their parents to develop sore relationships. You need to reach out to them, because a close relationship is essential for their emotional development. Fortunately, music can help your teens get closer to you. According to the Association for Natural Psychology, music can bridge gaps, create a bond between people who feel distant, and convey a message of peace and unity when used positively 3. Take some time to listen to music with your teen, and grab the opportunity to educate her on how she can use it to overcome challenges.