Personally, I’ve never been someone whose lips curled at the sound of holiday hits or who demanded the radio be shut off ASAP the second Mariah Carey came on.
My heart has always been full of Christmas joy, but not everyone can say the same.
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If you’re one of those people who find the holliest, jolliest hits of the season to be more depressing than uplifting, there might finally be a reason why. (You know, besides the fact that you’ve all caught a serious case of the bah humbug .)
But seriously, British psychologist Linda Blair says it all has to do with holiday stress.
In an interview with Sky News , she explained the ever-present sound of Christmas music playing in malls and shops can serve as a reminder of your seasonal to-do list as you try to beat the clock counting down to December 25.
Oh, and if it’s played too early, Christmas music can make us feel even worse .
As Blair explained, these holiday hits can make people feel like they are “trapped.”
“It’s a reminder that we have to buy presents, cater for people, organize celebrations,” she said.
People who work in shops at Christmas time are at an even higher risk to suffer Christmas music-induced stress. As Blair said, they have to “tune out” the same seasonal songs they have to hear multiple times a day for weeks on end.
“You simply are spending all of your energy trying not to hear what you’re hearing,” she explained.
In fact, music can actually have a significant impact on how we act in stores beyond just upsetting us.
While most of us believe product placements and advertising is the key to a sale, Blair said stores actually use music to influence their shoppers’ buys:
“When the songs are targeted properly — when a shop gives its customers what they expect to hear — it really does get people to buy stuff.”
h/t: Sky News
