Data_Sheet_1_“Help! I Need Somebody”: Music as a Global Resource for Obtaining Wellbeing Goals in Times of Crisis.docx

Music can reduce stress and anxiety, enhance positive mood, and facilitate social bonding. However, little is known about the role of music and related personal or cultural (individualistic vs. collectivistic) variables in maintaining wellbeing during times of stress and social isolation as imposed by the COVID-19 crisis. In an online questionnaire, administered in 11 countries (Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, the UK, and USA, N = 5,619), participants rated the relevance of wellbeing goals during the pandemic, and the effectiveness of different activities in obtaining these goals. Music was found to be the most effective activity for three out of five wellbeing goals: enjoyment, venting negative emotions, and self-connection. For diversion, music was equally good as entertainment, while it was second best to create a sense of togetherness, after socialization. This result was evident across different countries and gender, with minor effects of age on specific goals, and a clear effect of the importance of music in people's lives. Cultural effects were generally small and surfaced mainly in the use of music to obtain a sense of togetherness. Interestingly, culture moderated the use of negatively valenced and nostalgic music for those higher in distress.

音乐能够缓解压力与焦虑，提升积极的情绪，并促进社交联结。然而，在COVID-19疫情导致的压力与社交孤立时期，关于音乐及其相关个人或文化变量（如个体主义与集体主义）在维护心理健康中所扮演角色，知之甚少。在涵盖阿根廷、巴西、中国、哥伦比亚、意大利、墨西哥、荷兰、挪威、西班牙、英国和美国等11个国家的在线问卷调查中（样本量N = 5,619），参与者对疫情期间心理健康目标的关联性以及实现这些目标的不同活动的有效性进行了评估。研究发现，在五大心理健康目标中，音乐对于其中三项目标的效果最为显著：享受、宣泄负面情绪和自我连接。在寻求娱乐时，音乐与娱乐活动同样有效，而在营造共同感方面，音乐则仅次于社交活动。这一结果在不同国家和地区以及不同性别的人群中均得到证实，年龄对特定目标的影响微乎其微，而音乐在人们生活中的重要性具有显著影响。文化因素的影响通常较小，主要体现在利用音乐来营造共同感方面。有趣的是，对于压力较高的人群而言，文化因素调节了负面情感和怀旧音乐的运用。