The music played in shopping malls, restaurants, hotels, elevators, airports, stores, etc. affect people. HOW?

Elevator music refers to instrumental arrangements of popular music designed for playing in shopping malls, grocery stores, department stores, telephone systems (while the caller is on hold), cruise ships, airports, business offices, and elevators. The term is also frequently applied as a generic term for any form of easy listening, smooth jazz, or middle of the road music, or to the type of recordings commonly heard on "beautiful music" radio stations.

Elevator music is typically set to a very simple melody, so that it can be unobtrusively looped back to the beginning. In a mall or shopping center, elevator music of a specific type has been found to have a psychological effect: slower, more relaxed music tends to make people slow down and browse longer. Elevator music may also be preferred over broadcast radio stations due to the lack of lyrics and commercial interruptions.

According to 2 articles… Music motivates impulse buyers, not thoughtful shoppers by S. DINGFELDER You're Being Manipulated - How Music Affects Your Buying Habits by Tania French The influence of the music was huge but the customers didn't Notice or Believe that it was affecting them. It only took a matter of minutes or seconds for music to get into these people's brains in a powerful way.

On the days that French music is played nearly 80% of shoppers chose the French wine. On the days that German music the Opposite happens. Only 1 out of 44 customers said that the music was the reason they bought the wine. That's 2%! The influence of the music was Huge but the customers Didn't Notice or Believe that it was affecting them. It only took a matter of minutes or seconds for music to get into these people's brains in a powerful way. Similar experiments have shown that classical music can make people buy more expensive wine. A recent study from Leicester University in England.

Can you think of other types of music that are suitable for other settings? Sports/jogging Arcade Hotels Fast food restaurants

MUZAK

"because music is art, but Muzak is science. And when you employ the science of Muzak: in an office, workers tend to get more done, more efficiently, and feel happier. In an industrial plant, people feel better and, with less fatigue and tension, their jobs seem less monotonous. In a store, people seem to shop in a more relaxed and leisurely manner. In a bank, customers are generally more calm, tellers and other personnel are more efficient. In general, people feel better about where they are; whether it's during work or leisure time. Muzak is all this and more. That's why we say Muzak is much more than music."

Conclusion Music affects people- working efficiency, mood, etc. Some companies use crafted music (not just any music!) to stimulate business. We all may have been “manipulated” by music before… It may not be a bad thing, but just make sure you can afford the expensive wine!

Resources/bibliography French, Tania G. "You're Being Manipulated - How Music Affects Your Buying Habits." You're Being Manipulated - How Music Affects Your Buying Habits. 25 Apr EzineArticles.com. 1 Apr Affects-­Your-­Buying-­Habits&id=