Ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend, a music psychologist has curated a playlist of happy songs that will lift your spirits and make you feel good, including the likes of ABBA and Oasis
With the bank holiday weekend approaching, music psychologist Dr Claire Renfrew has assembled a scientifically-crafted playlist designed to boost spirits during car journeys.
Tracks including ‘Day Tripper’ by The Beatles, ‘She’s Electric’ by Oasis, and ‘Mamma Mia’ by ABBA feature amongst the songs an expert ‘guarantees’ will elevate your mood. Additional upbeat anthems comprise ‘Shake It Off’ by Taylor Swift, ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ by Queen, and ‘Good Vibrations’ by The Beach Boys.
The comprehensive 30-track collection, dubbed ‘World’s Happiest Car Playlist by FIAT’, can be found on Spotify and celebrates 70 years of the iconic 600 – a compact family SUV designed for urban and rural adventures – whilst heralding the upcoming UK launch of the new Grande Panda later this year.
Each song adheres to a precise scientific formula. The formula reveals that dopamine-inducing melodies require a combination of major keys, 7th chords, four bars per beat, and a tempo of 137 BPM.
Tracks must also feature a ‘repetitive simple structure’ alongside positive lyrics, and for maximum dopamine release, Dr Renfrew recommends the music be “played loud with friends and/or family, while on the road”.
Songs such as ‘Happy’, by Pharrell Williams and ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)’, by Whitney Houston, also conform to these ‘rules’.
Dr Renfrew explained: “Most happy songs are in a major key, which sounds brighter and is linked to positive emotions. They often have a simple, uplifting, and crucially, familiar chord structure. This is pleasing to the ear because our brains find predictability rewarding while fast tempos increase excitement and can increase movement as they reflect an elevated heart rate, mimicking excitement or joy.”
She added: “Positive, uplifting themes in the lyrics such as love, summer, dancing, freedom and friendship can promote a sense of connection.”
Additional tracks on the compilation feature Justin Timberlake’s ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling!’, P!nk’s ‘Get the Party Started’, and ‘Eye of the Tiger’ by Survivor. Dua Lipa’s ‘Levitating’ secured a spot too, alongside Daft Punk’s ‘One More Time’ and Mark Ronson’s ‘Uptown Funk’, which features Bruno Mars.
Dr Renfrew continued: “Music is essential to positive mental health and wellbeing and is seen as a fundamental element of being human. It enables us to obtain emotional regulation, a sense of freedom and discovery alongside purpose and fulfilment.
“Listening to our favourite songs also alleviates, manages, and reduces stress and can be an effective tool in relation to mindfulness. It can also trigger the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward.”
Giuseppe Cava, UK managing director of the Italian car maker, said: “We have always been about joyful journeys, especially those shared with family.
“And with the bank holiday ahead, the ‘World’s Happiest Car Playlist by FIAT’ is our way of adding even more feel-good energy to the road. It has been designed to keep spirits high on long journeys.
“Road trips are at the heart of many family memories, so we wanted to create a soundtrack that helps make those shared moments even more enjoyable.”
TRACKS ON THE PLAYLIST:
- The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition
- The Beatles – Day Tripper
- Oasis – She’s Electric
- ABBA – Mamma Mia
- Thegiornalisti – Riccione
- Daft Punk – One More Time
- Paramore – Still Into You
- Pharrell Williams – Happy
- Alessandra Amoroso – Comunque andare
- Dua Lipa – Levitating
- Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive
- Taylor Swift – Shake It Off
- Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk
- Empire Of The Sun – Walking On A Dream
- Justin Timberlake – Can’t Stop The Feeling!
- Earth, Wind & Fire – September
- Ricchi e Poveri – Sarà perché ti amo
- Katy Perry – Firework
- Survivor – Eye of the Tiger
- Hall & Oates – You Make My Dreams
- BØRNS – Electric Love
- P!nk – Get The Party Started
- Whitney Houston – Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)
- Maggie Rogers – Light On
- Raffaella Carrà – A far l’amore comincia tu
- One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful
- The Cranberries – Dreams
- BTS – Dynamite
- The Beach Boys – Good Vibrations
- Queen – Don’t Stop Me Now
#happy #songs #guaranteed #feel #good #Shake #Survive
