Dr Michelle Dickinson: Nanotechnologist on the songs scientifically proven to make listeners happy - The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Do you have a song that always makes you feel happy when you listen to it? 

New research surveying over 200 people found that music is one of the most powerful influences on their mood. Two thirds (64 percent) of the respondents said they listen to music to cheer them up, most often when they are lonely (43 percent), sad (42 percent) or when it’s cold and dark outside (40 percent). 

If we can use music to cheer us up, then the question is - what music should we listen to? 

British scientist Dr Michael Bonshor came up with a new formula to determine the happiest songs in the world, and with it developed a playlist for the top 10 tunes to bring a smile to your face. 

The formula includes songs having a short intro, written in a major key with a tempo of 137 beats per minute, four beats in every bar, a verse-chorus-verse structure, a mostly predictable sequence with one or two elements of surprise like a key change or the introduction of seventh chords. 

(Happy song formula=Major key + 137 BPM + 7th chords + strong beat + 4 beats in every bar + short intro + (verse+chorus)2 + repeated riffs + high volume + bright tone + (predictability*surprise) 

According to the formula, the top 10 scientifically happy songs are:  

Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys 

I Got You (I Feel Good) by James Brown 

House of Fun by Madness 

Get the Party Started by P!nk 

Uptown Girl by Billy Joel 

Sun Is Shining by Bob Marley 

I Get Around by The Beach Boys 

YMCA by Village People 

Waterloo by ABBA 

September by Earth, Wind & Fire 

The research was sponsored by yogurt company Muller Light, and they have turned the results into the perfect happy playlist: The Lighter Note https://soundcloud.com/mullerlight 

If you don't agree with the list that's OK, while the survey found that 49 percent of people found pop music made them the happiest, 12 percent of people found their happiness in classical music, and 13 percent in R&B so while this playlist might follow a scientific formula, it doesn't mean it's the perfect formula for you. 

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