The Effects of Music on Mood, Anxiety, and Job Satisfaction: Self-Reports from Occupational Workers

Abstract

The effects of music on mood, anxiety and job satisfaction were investigated within an occupational setting of employees in a cardiologist office. All participants were exposed to nine consecutive Monday workdays alternating between classical music, dance/electronic music, or no music being played in the background throughout the workday. Participants’ self-reported positive and negative affect, state anxiety, and job satisfaction levels were measured twice during each experimental workday. 3 x 2 mixed-design ANOVAs and chi-square tests of association were used to assess the effects of the music intervention. Only two ANOVAs approached significance: music’s effect on anxiety and music’s effect on job satisfaction. Significant associations in subsequent chi-square tests were found, supporting the effects of music on anxiety and job satisfaction.