I’ve always turned to music when I’ve felt bored, sad or just nervous. Growing up, in my mind, I always believed music makes people happier and works like an anti-depressant
If like me you always thought music was a quick pick-me-up, think again! Recent studies show that music can actually increase the risk of depression in teens (paging all young college students!).
The study, conducted at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, found that listening to music increased the risk of depression—even when compared to other mediums of media such as television, internet and books.
What’s more, the study found that increasing reading decreased the risk of depression by 50%. (Yes, that sounds hard to believe when being forced to read books is generally the source of depression for the average college student.) For full disclosure, the anti-depressing qualities of books is not exclusive to texts and novels, they include newspapers and magazines too!
That being said, the lead researcher has revealed in a statement: “At this point, it is not clear whether depressed people begin to listen to more music to escape, or whether listening to large amounts of music can lead to depression, or both.”
But before you run off using this study as an excuse to watch more television, note that a prior study by the same researchers found that teens who watched more TV were more likely to become depressed in adulthood.
