A look at music in public places and the effect on us everyday

That’s the conclusion of psychologist Zoe Nendick who has studied why music is played in public places and how it influences behaviour.

The results may be surprising for those, like local authorities, who pay millions of pounds in royalties every year in order to play music to visitors and staff.

The spending has been criticised after it emerged that cash-strapped councils across the UK paid £190 million last year alone to bodies such as music licensing company PPL PRS. The money is distributed to songwriters and music publishers for the use of their tunes.

The sums have been blasted by the Taxpayers’ Alliance who said taxpayers would be “furious their cash was being wasted after constantly hearing public sector bosses say there’s no more fat left to trim”.

Examples of the kind of places covered by the licences include children’s, family, community and leisure centres, town halls, museums, shopping malls, bus stations and tourist information centres.

However, Nendick has warned that the music may not be achieving the intended effect.

Left: Zoe Nendick, Right: Example of public spaces (Image: NQ)

She said a key reason for playing music in public spaces was to influence behaviour as it is thought to have a calming effect – but this could backfire as it could cause some people to become overstimulated. In cases like these the sound of silence could be preferable to the sound of music, according to Nendick.

As public buildings are supposed to be accessible, an easy way to help achieve this is by turning the music off, she said.

“If there is too much going on it can cause some people to be overstimulated so removing music is actually a way of making places more acceptable and comfortable for people to be in,” said Nendick.

“A key reason for playing music is to cause people to feel calm but actually it turns out that this works better if people can control the music they listen to.”

READ MORE: SNP National Executive Committee has agreed the wording of resolution

Rather than play music they may not want to hear, she said it could be more effective to have a silent space where people could put in their earphones and choose the music they want.

“The music that makes one person feel calm may not make another feel calm,” she pointed out. “It has been proven people prefer it when they can listen to their own music.”

Nendick added: “There are benefits for local authorities to have silence in public areas to make these spaces more welcoming, or accessible and also to avoid giving people unpredictable responses to music.

“A certain piece could trigger a memory for someone and end up upsetting or angering them or reminding them of a situation that made them very tense or a person they don’t want to be reminded of. You don’t know how people will react to the music you play so it is to your advantage if people play their own music and keep calm and focused on why they are there.”

Music played in children’s areas will also have an effect on their behaviour.

“If it is loud and energetic music then children are bound to be more loud and energetic and that might not necessarily be what you want,” said Nendick. “Something to bear in mind in these places is the choice of music.”

Music played in places like health clinics and hospital waiting rooms may also be having an unintended effect.

“Reducing anxiety in medical settings is definitely a reason music is played in those places but, having delved into it, that seems to be more of an assumption on the part of these places rather than a proven effect,” she said. “There is some evidence it can reduce anxiety in medical settings but it is mixed, I would say.”

Supermarkets and shopping centres all tend to play music as it is well established that music can affect consumer attitudes, their selections and the time and money they spend.

Classical music, in particular, has been found to create an impression of a sophisticated atmosphere, which can increase the amount of money consumers spend. One study concluded that people choose more expensive wine in a restaurant when classical music is being played, while another found that people spend more money and more time dining out when classical music is played than when there is pop music or no music. Slow music also increases the time spent in a restaurant.

Music has also been used to discourage anti-social behaviour and there is evidence that this can work. An experiment where classical music was played on London underground led to a decrease in assaults on staff and robberies.