Is your iPod a source of happiness? At last, I discover the happiness power of music.

The first of my Twelve Commandments is to “Be Gretchen,” and it’s only since I’ve started making an effort to “Be Gretchen” that I realize how difficult that goal is.

Take music.

I knew from my research that listening to music is one of the most effective ways to boost your energy and mood (second only to exercise). In fact, in one study, 92% of people felt happier when they listened to music they liked. If you’re in a blues emergency, music is a great way to turn yourself around.

For a long time, I had assumed I liked music, because “everyone” did, but then realized I didn’t enjoy music very much (I thought). It’s one of my Secrets of Adulthood: “Just because something is fun for other people doesn’t mean it’s fun for you, and vice versa.”

I decided that I didn’t really like music much, and I thought this recognition was a mature, thoughtful embrace of “Being Gretchen.”

But a few nights ago, as I listened in ecstasy to the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Under the Bridge for the fiftieth time since I discovered it, I thought – wait, maybe I DO like music.

It has finally dawned on me that I do like music, but I like to listen to it in a very particular way. I don’t like to get a CD and listen to the whole thing. I don’t like a wide variety. I like to listen to my very favorite songs over and over.

I’ve always been slightly embarrassed by this propensity. I thought it showed a lack of sophisticated appreciation. It’s a Top-40 kind of mentality. I have no depth of musical knowledge, just familiarity with a handful of scattered songs. Plus, my taste in music runs to the slightly cheesy.

But I thought, “Be Gretchen. Listen to the music I like, the way I like.”

I bought my first iPod yesterday. The Big Man – who loves music – showed me how to load it. It’s very easy.

And now I’m so excited to listen to music. I’m in the process of hand-picking my favorite songs to put on the iPod. Perfect timing, because we’re going home to Kansas City to visit my parents, and I like to go running there, and running is so much nicer with music.

This project is giving me a huge boost even when I’m not listening to the music. I’ve noticed that making collections of your favorite things is a great way to get a jolt of happiness. Try it. Make an album of your favorite photos of your friends or kids; make a shelf of your favorite sources for your Ph.D. thesis; make a list of your favorite restaurants.

I KNOW listening to this music is going to make me happy – plus, it will probably make it more likely that I’ll go for a run, also a mood booster.

Incidentally, I would point to this incident as an example of the way money, used right, can give happiness support. I was very lucky to be able just to go out and buy an iPod when I decided I wanted one. Now that I have it, I’m sure it will give me a lot of happiness bang for the buck.

Next on my list of songs to download: Angie by the Rolling Stones.

(As a way to link to the songs, I'm linking via YouTube, which I hope is ok from a copyright standpoint [I am a lawyer, after all] but I think the videos distract, and detract, from the music.)

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A great productivity/life hacks blog with a tech emphasis is The Cranking Widgets Blog. It's a fun read, and although most of the tech hacks are over my non-techy head, I like being exposed to that stuff -- I'm hoping it will seep in over time.

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Comments

[Michelle Potter]

I am right there with you about music and iPods! I've never thought of myself as a big "music person." I don't get into knowing all the details of hot bands, or even bands I like. I barely know the names of some of the musicians in bands I like. I just like certain songs which I can listen to over and over again, mostly music that my mom used to listen to when I was a kid. So when my hubby tried to buy me an mp3 player I resisted because I thought, "What do I need that for?" Then my sister-in-law gave me an iPod nano, and I discovered that I had a great time finding all my very favorite songs to listen to in the car, on a walk, or even in every room of my house. I especially love that I can stick it in my pocket and listen through headphones while I wash the dishes, and my hubby doesn't have to get tired of listening to about 40 songs on endless repeat. ;)

[AML]

When you last posted about music, one of your commenters mentioned pandora.com. THANK YOU to that commenter, for turning me on to a GREAT website!!

[asrai]

My brother still rolls his eyes at me because of my wide musical tastes (think NIN to Backstreet boys to Tim McGraw).

I change my mp3 player music weekly because I get bored easily because I'll listen to one song for a whole week on repeat.

I try not to inflict my music on others tho. Listening to Michael Buble "Everything" for the 100th time is enough to annoy even my 4 year old.

[Gretchen Rubin]

I never checked out Pandora, because I was thinking that I didn't like music. Now, with that endorsement, off I go...

[manslations]

Oh man, do I agree. The iPod makes me VERY happy. And like a lot of guys, it's not just the music, it's the gadget itself. Oh, I love the smell of gadgetry in the morning. Smells like...well, I guess credit card bills, if I'm honest about it. Which is why I try not to be honest about it.

Great site!

[Nick]

Now that you've rediscovered the glory of music, please head over to www.lala.com. I have been addicted to LaLa for 8 months.

At Lala, you list all of the CDs you have that you are willing to part with. You also make a list of the CDs you'd like to receive. Through the magic of LaLa, you receive those much wanted CDs for only $1.50 each. When someone wants one of your CDs, you send it in a postage paid envelope supplied by Lala.

Word of advice, don't go crazy. I had 3 months of $80 LaLa bills!

[Michael Sporer]

I like all kinds of music, even some of the real hard-core stuff. But for getting things done when able to work un-interrupted, you can't beat some soft Kenny G. Keeps me in the zone, and I become much more productive. I still don't IPod.

[LaurieM]

Ah it's the curse of the shoulds. So often we do what we think we should, instead of what we want.

[Glen]

Great article Gretchen!

Last.fm is also a great music discovery site, and free to boot. While the Pandora recommendation engine bases songs on their physical makeup, Last.fm goes by what other people like you listen to. To-may-to, to-mah-to ;)

[nan]

Congrats on discovering music! Check out last.fm - it's a great way to discover new music.. be careful though, it's the type of site that could seriously derail productivity! ;)

[Leslie Turek]

The iPod has made a huge difference in my frustration level in dealing with things like long lines at airports. I just plug in and tune out and arrive at my destination in a much happier frame of mind.

[Mad William Flint]

Not only does listening to music "that way" not make you "unsophisticated" it may imply you're more so, being pickier about what you do/don't like.

The iPod is particularly well suited to a la carte listening. Drop a bunch of stuff on there. If you have a shuffle, it's a little harder, since the interface really isn't very rich.

But on a nano or hard-drive based version, you can drop the music on there, listen to it and hold down the center button to "add to playlist" which will, over time, build up a nice list.

When you sync the thing you can rename the playlist.

Shuffling through everything and skimming through it, saving what you really like (or rating it) is a great way to fine tune what it is you listen to.

Being a music lover I have 750 albums on my iPod. Of course I don't listen to most of it ever. But going through this process has landed me about a dozen playlists of awesome mood-specific music.

[Ella]

1. Yes, my iPod is a huge source of happiness. It's my favorite invention of the past five years. I forgot to take it with me on a recent weekend, and going running without it was just no fun at all.

2. I love this blog. I stumbled across it a few weeks ago and have been making my way through the archives. Many of your ideas resonate with me, and your writing is a great pleasure to read.

[Leila]

I'm also one of those people who listens to the same songs over and OVER again and I love doing it. I do the same with movies. My husband has learned to love me for it, too. Haven't much thought of IPods.

[jim]

Look for "Perfect Time of Day" by Howie Day. I've read you for a year & think you will find it fits the Happiness Project.

[ParisBreakfasts]

I do the same thing with music-listen to things over and over again. But I use music to paint to and I'm afraid if I get an ipod music will lose it's magic..
I get bored too fast..
maybe I'm crazy..

[Evan]

Why not pay for your enjoyment at Itunes, Calabash music or EMusic- so that musicians can make a living (Just like lawyers they need to eat.....)

[adora]

Making collections of favorite things is indeed a major boost of happiness. I'm having fun working on a family cookbook right now. It's still at the early stage of collecting from my relatives, measuring ingredients, testing... It's ridiculously hard and makes me appreciate cookbook authors in a whole new level.

I have a huge family (35 cousins!) that resides in 8 countries. Since the beginning of this project, I've been talking a lot more with my relatives and learn a lot of interesting things about them. Like how my uncle didn't let my aunt puke after eating too full at my parents' wedding because the food was too expensive to go to waste! (lol)

Thanks for you tips about Lulu.com, I'll be publishing the cookbook nicely and send them to my friends and family as gifts.

[Karen Kay]

I have had an MP3 player of one sort or another since 1999. I love it--but I've never listened to music on mine. I listen to audio books, podcasts of radio programs (Fresh Air, On the Media, and This American Lifer), and the daily New York Times.

People think it's weird to have an MP3 player and not listen to music; I think they are weird.

[Karen Kay]

I have had an MP3 player of one sort or another since 1999. I love it--but I've never listened to music on mine. I listen to audio books, podcasts of radio programs (Fresh Air, On the Media, and This American Lifer), and the daily New York Times.

People think it's weird to have an MP3 player and not listen to music; I think they are weird.

[Gretchen Rubin]

My mother-in-law swears by audio books (she listens on the treadmill), and my father is addicted to Great Courses, which allows you to buy CDs of lecture series by renowned professors (he listens when he makes long drives). I myself find it very hard to take in information through my ears -- I'm very reading-oriented. But I know people LOVE them.

A friend of mine who lives in Washington DC said that her commute was always the worst part of her day until she started getting audio books, and now sometimes she sits in the car in her driveway for a few minutes, to listen for a bit longer. So for some people, it' a HUGE happiness booster.

[Carol Bone]

Welcome to the iPod world, Gretchen! I've enjoyed using an iPod for 3 or 4 years and have discovered it can provide some solace in the midst of chaos on many levels. The iPod, with speakers, is wonderful to set up in a hotel room when you need some grounding with the familiar. It's also great in the car during long drives (using a car adaptor, of course) and perfect when cooking up a storm for a special event. I also love to download books from audible.com. iTunes has incredible podcasts available for free, where you can indulge your curiosity into realms otherwise unknown. I am completely calm listening to Zencast if I'm walking by myself in the early hours of the day. Used in these ways, technology is such a wonderful asset in our otherwise hectic lives!

[Daniel]

I was looking forward to listening to my favourite music while walking or biking, but then I found out it may be hazardous to your hearing. Is it true that exercising while listening to music damages your hearing, or at least makes you more susceptible to hearing damage, due to the blood being drawn away from your ears?

[Amit Patel]

I too like to listen to certain songs over and over, but I think it's not just because that song "clicks" with me. I think a large part of happiness comes from familiarity. The first time I listen to a song I may like or not like it, but if I have heard it many times, then many years later, I'll be more likely to like it, just because it's familiar. Or if the music was playing at a happy moment (school dance, etc.), then it becomes associated with it, so listening to the music brings back some of the positive emotions of the event. A concrete example: I don't particularly like Elvis music, but there was an Elvis song played in a video showing World of Warcraft dances (http://www.machinima.com/film/view&id=832), and ever since then, my enjoyment of that video has led me to enjoy the Elvis song too.

Marketers have figured this out too—when certain brands are repeatedly mentioned on TV, those brands become familiar, and familiar brands make us happier, so we end up choosing those products more oftne. When those brand ads are played with familiar music, those brands become associated with the music, and any positive connotations we had with the music get tied into the brand.

For the past few years I have been trying to occasionally listen to unfamiliar music in order to make it more familiar. I think of it as an investment in my future musical happiness.

[erndoggins]

Thank you for a wonderful idea. I am a non-musical person in a family of musicians. My taste in music tends towards stuff that makes everybody else wince.

I have an iPOD that I loaded with soft music for studying, to drown out background noise. But now, being done with class, I no longer needed it and the thing just sat there.

Last night I gathered all 200 or so of the CD's that we have and downloaded just the stuff I like. Voila! I have 115 songs that I love on the iPod with room to spare. Came in to work early this morning, cranked it up,danced around the office (before anyone else was in :)) and started the day in a great mood.

Thanks again for an easy and fun way to start the day on a happy note (no pun intended).