Am I Addicted To Music?

[Psychonaut]

I literally listen to music 24/7. I listen to it when I study, when I read a book and when I do work. Basically during every activity.

I used to also listen to music on headphones when I was outside. But I stopped because I noticed that it detaches me from reality.

When I turn of the music at home I instantly have a feeling that something is missing. I can get feelings of loneliness, because it is literally just me sitting at my desk doing whatever. Music gives me the impression that there is another presence, not a person, but maybe that I'm not alone in my room. I switched of my music just now and I have to fight the urge to switch it back on.

[bazera]

Quote

I used to also listen to music on headphones when I was outside. But I stopped because I noticed that it detaches me from reality.

I listen to music on my earphones whenever I am alone outside, and haven't thought that it may be a wrong thing to do.

Can you tell me why did you stop, more specifically?

[Natura Sonoris]

I think it all comes from seeking emotional comfort.

I would suggest you to do same thing as i did it and that is question why you value music so much. You can start just from being aware what is going on when you listen to music. When you figure out what is going on there (track your thoughts and emotions), start doing deep questioning why you need to do it in first place. Why your ego ''requires'' specific stimuli that triggers certain processes that you first need to be aware of in order to question them. I boiled down to emotional comfort.

That is reason why people listen to music. For example, you and your loved one had a favorite song, and you ego would label experience of that song as something ''pleasant'' , ''wonderful'' etc. Along with that, all events that may happened during the playback with that song are also being stored into those labels. When you break up, your ego fill its voids with seeking some experiences that can fill that void. 

This does not mean that you are missing someone or anything similar, but you have some emotional need to listen to it. However, music is something that is kinda build it in humanity for many thousands of years so there is probably some deeper science behind it, but i still think that fact has no massive effect on why certain individuals listen more to music than rest of people.

As i said, seek for what is true and honest  and be totally aware of what is going on and you will find your answer

[Chimp]

I cannot tell you if you have a problem with music, since I'm no expert, but I can tell you my experience with music. I work in the music industry and it brought me much fulfillment: big social circle with deep connections, beautiful memories, money and achievement, ... (And I'm still a little fish in the industry  )

However since I'm so busy with it, I also enjoy silence and quite background sounds a lot. For me that is also music, since I consider every sound musical. So when you turn of the music at your house, nothing is really missing. Music is still there, you only have to listen for it and learn to appreciate it.

I hope this helps. Cheers!

[Anna Konstantaki]

I have thought about this as well. I did the experiment and cut it out for some time. Getting intrinsic  motivation and facing the silence or only my voice and thoughts was somewhat hard at the start but this allowed me to (as you say with your example of listening in nature) become more aware. I started however to listen to music again but mindfully. I try to use it as a tool to concentrate, or to relax, or to visualize and well... Yes, when I want to get my head completely clear I turn it off. I do as well shift more and more to music without lyrics and try to avoid the cheap pop culture songs that are all about the same topics and postulate co-dependence and neurotic behaviors. Is it alright to be "addicted" to a TOOL that improves your life? Just make sure you fully understand this tool so that it can´t overthrown you and maybe one day you will find alternatives to replace this with another perspective, like the user Chimp in the comment above: 

On 19.2.2016 at 9:46 PM, Chimp said:

I consider every sound musical

Is that a goal? 

[Rufus]

Just the fact that you think that you need music to survive your day, that means addiction, but it's up to you how much do you have to worry about this. 
As a composer myself who dug so deep in personal discoveries about the science of music, music is a very powerful tool for altering human's state,

1 - There is music for emotions (Contrasting Chords & Modulations), 2 - Music for the body (Beats and Rhythms), 3 - Music for the mind (Story, dogma, and melodic complexity), 4 - Music for spirit, mood and focus (Ambiance, Sound design, Textures and pads),
A good composer is the one who knows who to balance these aspects in music to achieve a certain goal, And powerful composers can mix these elements in one epic track that can make you feel complete.

• The fact that you listen to emotional music, that could be a sign that you need some emotional balance in your day, maybe you need to do an action regarding this and find an activity or a GF, or someone to set with who can bring that balance back.

 

• The fact that you listen to body music (percussive), you need physical energy and excitement, maybe you can replace it with dancing, sports, running, skydiving, racing etc..

 

• The need to listen to music for the mind means you need mental entertainment, maybe you need to hang out with cool friends, or go for adventure, play video games, or you can use it for beneficial aspects like doing intellectual habits, scientific research or find the thing that you really love.

 

• The need to listen to Ambient music is a sign that you need focus. you probably yearn to have some alone time away from annoying people and distractions, maybe meditate, read, study, go to nature, Make your Arts, or watch a documentary about insects and birds.

See? you can take the music you wish to listen right now as a sign that you need to do something right now, you can replace Music with different activities, it's the same energy but it's up to you and your will to pick how do you want to convert that energy.
I'm not saying that music is bad, it's never ever, Music is a sophisticated body hacking tool and form of art, sometimes you will willingly choose to listen to music because you don't want to hang out with friends or do physical activity so you can free your time to do other things, in addition that listening to music that beautifully combines the four elements can bring a great inspiration to your life, dreams and future if you know how to focus during listening.

Music is a very powerful tool to achieve any kind of state, if you master what kind of music you need to listen to right now, with the right pitch, waveform, amplitude, and speakers positioning, you can literally hack your entire body, mind and emotions and make you alter your day and to help energizing yourself to help fulfilling certain tasks during your day, at a much deeper level, music and sounds can even be used for healing if you push the right buttons, it has the power to even alter physics and chemistry on an atomic level.
But when Music is your only savior when your life is empty, you make a slave out of yourself, maybe it's time to discover some other activities.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Rufus
Spelling and other fixes

[Psychonaut]

@Rufus Thank you for your input. I have also thought about it a bit over the past few days. It could be an addiction it could not be. It really depends on the day. Sometimes I have music on all day. Sometimes I don't feel like it at all. Like today. 

I think listening to music is so special for me because it is one of my oldest hobbies. Music is still beautiful, it is still exciting and can make me very happy. Yes and often I would prefer listening to music to other activities. But it's not like it is the only thing I do. So it might be a dependance or an addiction. So I just acknowledge the fact, let it go and enjoy the music.

@bazera When you listen to music outside you remove one of your senses: Sound. You cannot be fully present if one of your senses is occupied with something else. I have realized that there are far too many interesting things outside and if I don't listen to music I notice a lot more things. Sometimes I still like to listen to music on my earphones, but not always like I used to do.

[Chimp]

There are two important things about music that I realized a while ago:

1) Like Rufus says above, music is one of the most powerful anchors (NLP). It can trigger emotional states in you without you knowing that the music is causing it. For example, there could be a song you really liked in the past but can no longer listen to without getting an awful feeling. This could be because the song was playing in the background during a breakup and your subconscious mind anchored it to that emotion without you knowing it. You can use this to your advantage. I've got a cd full of songs that make me feel awesome and confident which I play right before I need to give a presentation or something.

2) Music is not as innocent and unharmful as society thinks it is. A lot of popular music has pretty depressing lyrics which can put severe limiting beliefs in your mind if you're unaware of it. It basically glorifies the idea that negativity is just the way life is and there is no alternative. That being said, music can also do the opposite.  I've recently worked with an artist who was aware of this and knew he had this responsibility. So he only writes songs about how beautiful life is and what is possible.

@Anna Konstantaki is it a goal to consider every sound musical? It opens up a world of possibilities and gives life a deeper meaning (at least for me). This is especially good if you're a musician or a creative person. A music teacher of mine thought this to me among other things.

[Falk]

There is a realy good & productive solution for your question and i think you already know what it might be:

On next Monday you start 1 week without Music !

it will be like a 1 week anti-music-meditation where you can test how you feel and what happens to you if you dont have music.

Write down before you start what exactly you expect to happen, what might be the worst case, what you have to do to make it (hide all devices..etc...)

And if there´s a moment in that week where you go "insane" and have to listen to music write down what it felt like and why you think you did it.

(If music is played in a store or at work that doesnt count as breaking the rules, only if you stay in the store like 5hours to be able to listen ^^)

Good Luck & you can do it!

 

[Guest]

Over the course of last century we’ve seen a complete revolution in the purpose of music in everyday life. The idea of using music as ‘sonic wallpaper’ has taken over, in many ways, from the idea of musical events as special, privileged moments of pleasure and the appreciation of beauty. A very degrading trend. Its difficult to disengage yourself from the omnipresence of music - it really is everywhere - but I’d recommend doing anything you can do minimise your exposure. Do it for the love of music. Music, to me, is the most awe-inspiring and beautiful thing we humans have created, and it deserves our full attention and respect. Remember that up until recently, and today in all non-westernized cultures, that was/ is the normal protocol. I sometimes find it strange how few people I know will sit down and just listen to an album start to finish without doing anything else - that really is the only way to properly appreciate it.

[MIARIVEL]

@Love I think it depends what type of music you listen to to. Music can be a great thing and put you in a great state, if you listen to upbeat, happy, catchy music. 

They say that certain type of music is actually good for studying, but a weird thing when I was studying at university, I used to have music playing in the background and when I listen to the same music before an exam, somehow for me, I seemed to remember more of what i studied just by having the same sound playing. (may not work for everyone though). 

Music can also be a form of therapy which may cure us from loneliness or depression. I am addicted to listening to podcasts and personal development videos, every spare moment I have, I will listen or watch something, for me it is not only my business, its my life, my obsession, my passion to always be listening to something that makes me feel good and helps me grow as a person. 

I honestly duo not think there is anything wrong with always listening to music. If you want to try and break the habit, perhaps try some different forms of meditation? to have some you time and to learn to be at peace with yourself, quietness and stillness. Sometimes in meditation you are even listening to soft music but the focus will be more on your mind and body then it will the music.

[Brian Greendahl]

The type of music we are drawn too usually reflects a form of expression, even if we are just listening. That expression usually comes from a place that the mind is incapable of going. If it's not having a negative affect or causing you to become stuck in morbid reflection etc., I see no harm in continued listening. I've been playing piano for 45 years and spend a great deal of time listening. I've learned that it's a primary language with me and that the spoken word is secondary. It's a consciousness in it's own realm. I've went periods of time with no listening or playing at all and found that there is still music playing in my head no matter what I'm doing at a given moment. In light of that, I've moved towards that consciousness rather than resist it. Sounds kind of off the wall, I know, but that's just how I'm wired.

 

[Psychonaut]

About a month ago I discovered I really like dancing. It's kind of funny to just randomly start dancing on the street or at work.

It's really weird. Music kind of just kicks me into a happy mode and after a while it kicks into don't care. If I let go and just let my body move to the music I dance. I don't have to do anything it kind of just flows. 

I really don't know why music has such an enormous impact on my mood. Whenever I hear music somewhere out on the street I can't resist to at least start nodding my head while others are completely unaffected.