Pop lyrics increasingly talk about stress and are more negative, except in times of social crisisomentos de crisis social

Music is one of the oldest and most universal forms of human expression, transcending geographical, cultural, linguistic and temporal barriers. As a form of individual and social behaviour, its study requires an interdisciplinary approach, bringing together disciplines such as neuroscience, psychology, sociology, musicology and education. Music is part of everyday life, fulfilling different uses and functions ranging from entertainment, social cohesion, communication, emotional expression and regulation to learning, relaxation and entertainment. The digital age has radically transformed human interaction with music. The emergence of streaming platforms has redefined the listener's relationship with music by providing instant access to a virtually unlimited catalogue of musical genres and styles. This phenomenon has positioned music as a cultural asset that is immediately available, which has boosted its consumption and further integrated it into everyday life.  

In this context of mass access, analysing the type of music consumed by the population can be used as an empirical indicator to analyse consumer trends, predominant musical genres, forms of social behaviour associated with consumption, and even collective moods or social values at a given time. An example of this approach is provided by the present study. The authors applied Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to analyse more than 20,000 song lyrics that entered the US Billboard Top 100 charts over five decades (1973-2023). The study stands out for the breadth of its temporal analysis and dataset, which provides a consistent, long-term view of music consumption and listening trends among audiences. This vast longitudinal perspective allows for the analysis of the collective management of listeners' moods through music. The results support the thesis that music plays a dual role in the collective management of mood, acting both in emotional management and regulation, a role that depends on the social context and the intensity of the prevailing collective emotions. 

In 2019, the World Health Organisation (WHO) published the first global report examining the benefits of artistic interventions in improving health and wellbeing, validating the arts, including music, as treatment options in educational, therapeutic and community settings. This position is reinforced by the present research, which validates modern/popular music as a cultural indicator and a psychological tool for collective coping. These findings support the use of music therapy, an evidence-based clinical discipline, to modulate mood and stress levels, encourage emotional expression and social cohesion, and improve quality of life and overall well-being.

The study reveals a sustained increase in negativity, stress and simplicity in American pop lyrics over recent decades, but also shows that this trend moderates in times of social crisis, supporting the idea that music functions as a spontaneous tool for emotional self-regulation. When the environment is emotionally overwhelming, it seems that the public seeks less negative lyrics, consistent with research indicating that music is used to adjust affective states depending on the context. From a clinical perspective, this pattern is relevant because it suggests that music selection can be used strategically. In this regard, recent studies show that individual variables such as musical/social anhedonia (García-Rodríguez et al., 2021) or alexithymia (García-Rodríguez et al., 2023) modulate the emotional response to music, suggesting that interventions should be personalised. Similarly, research in music therapy with women undergoing cancer treatment (Fernández-Company et al., 2024) shows that well-designed musical interventions can improve well-being and reduce psychological distress, highlighting the clinical potential of music as a regulatory resource.  

The study also has significant limitations that must be taken into account: it analyses only lyrics, leaving out fundamental elements of musical emotion such as melody, harmony and rhythm; the musical stimuli represent only the American mainstream, not the entire spectrum of music production and consumption; and the data is correlational, so it does not allow for the establishment of a direct causality between social changes and musical changes. Furthermore, basic personal factors such as age and gender differences in emotional regulation (Fernández-Company et al., 2024) are not considered, which can significantly affect the way people use music to modulate their mood.  

Even so, the central finding of the study is consistent: music not only reflects the emotional climate of an era, but also acts as a barometer and buffer for collective unrest, in line with both clinical evidence and the everyday use of playlists to manage mood. These results invite us to ask relevant questions about how to more deliberately harness the regulatory potential of music in contexts of uncertainty, as well as for the promotion of psychological well-being.  

This study shows that, over the past five decades, American pop lyrics have become more stressful, negative, and simplistic. It also shows that during social crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, this trend has slowed, suggesting that music can act as an emotional regulator. These results are consistent with empirical models of musical preferences and neuropsychological evidence on the role of musical familiarity in stress regulation (Freitas et al., 2018). Furthermore, these studies coincide with other findings on musical emotional regulation (Fernández-Company et al., 2024) showing that young people use music to modulate affective states depending on the context, which may fit with a homeostatic interpretation of the study: music can compensate for the emotional burden of the environment. However, publications on the paradox of pleasure in sad music (Sachs et al., 2015) could help explain why, in non-critical conditions, people may be attracted to negative music without this implying the perception of real discomfort. From a practical perspective, this paradox may be therapeutically useful, as emotionally intense but non-invasive music could allow connection with patients who are going through processes of grief, deep sadness, or despair.

When I skimmed through the article, I found it curious and interesting. Various related topics came to mind, such as the Romantic writers, particularly Goethe, and the trend of suicide among young people, which his famous novel inadvertently inaugurated. I also remembered Ortega's concept of the “mass man”, not to mention the musical trends that, whether through social media or promoted by music producers, always with an eye on what sells, run rampant and triumph without us ever fully understanding why, at least in terms of their dubious value.  

In any case, thinking only about the melody, it has been proven that we choose the music we want to listen to based on our mood: if you feel sad, you opt for music that deepens your pain; if your body wants to party, you look for something more lively and upbeat. And this, handled wisely, can be used as therapy. Applied to texts, I imagine, something similar could be said.