This number likely is even higher now on both sides of the border, especially during an ongoing pandemic. And if we are shopping late in the season, listening to these tunes can raise our cortisol levels as we seek out the elusive “perfect” gift in a last-minute frenzy.Īnd the stress is real: a 2006 study by the American Psychological Association found that 61 per cent of Americans experience stress at Christmas and that 25 per cent of them have felt stress as a direct result of Christmas music. Through movies and other popular media these tunes have become associated with fantasies of a picturesque Christmas, making us feel that other people will have the “ideal” holiday - but we won’t. What it is like for individuals who don’t observe Christmas, or those who feel they need to bend to mainstream social norms to give gifts “for the sake of the children”? Or for people who have early negative associations with Christmas, or folks who suffered a loss and will be grieving over the holidays, or those who do not have the money to buy the gifts they feel others are expecting? In these and many more instances, Christmas music can be a painful, relentless reminder of loss, lack and isolation.Įven fans of Christmas music can find it stress-inducing. Hence, most retailers take a risk playing yuletide tunes too soon in the season.īy mid-November, however, Christmas music is like sonic wallpaper pasted across mainstream Canadian culture, and the inability to escape from these songs can be stressful. Over-exposure can backfire and make us quickly dislike a song and send us looking for the exit. Playing Christmas music in November (or even earlier) can work for or against retailers.įor instance, the “mere-exposure experience” describes what happens when we are exposed to a new stimulus: the more familiar we are with something (a song, a person, etc.) the more likable they become.
Music might well increase sales, but this does not necessarily mean placing the Christmas recording on repeat when the leaves start to fall. Research has shown that music can influence shoppers’ purchasing decisions by as much as 40 per cent. It’s an economically critical season as retailers move from the “red” into the “black” and music is central to this shift. Given the carefulness with which these everyday consumer soundscapes are designed, you can imagine that Christmas music is not left to chance. For the medium to influence our actions and deploy messages to us without our consent, it is meant to be heard, but we are not encouraged to actually listen to it.Ĭhristmas music can affect your shopping habits.
We may not be conscious of any of this sound when we go shopping, and that’s quite intentional. When we enter a particular store, music - or sonic architecture, as it is called - then establishes the store’s brand and defines its target demographic. As a result, many retailers pay for programmed music to slow us down or lift us up relative to our likely physiological conditions (the time of day, before or after meals, etc.).
But decisions behind the scenes are much more deliberate: research has demonstrated music’s physiological effects on the body, including modulating brainstem measures like heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and muscle tension, as well as influencing hormones such as dopamine and cortisol. It’s the same when we browse through stores: most of us think that music is used in mall hallways to lighten our spirits - not too intrusive, but audible and perhaps even pleasing. …Studies have shown that playing classical music in liquor stores subliminally encourages patrons to feel more affluent and buy more expensive wine. Within the retail context, studies have shown that playing classical music in liquor stores subliminally encourages patrons to feel more affluent and buy more expensive wine similarly, classical music in lingerie stores sends the message to consumers that they aren’t buying something “trashy” but instead, something “elegant.” In these situations, music is carefully chosen, studied and programmed relative to the need of restaurants and retailers. Fast-food courts, by contrast, feature music that’s more upbeat (you have already paid for your food, so the idea here is to move patrons through). When you eat at an expensive restaurant, the music might have a slightly slower tempo and be generally unobtrusive and relaxing so that you will take more time to order alcohol (the biggest markup for restaurateurs). Let me provide a few examples of how music is used to send us messages and influence how we move in the real world.