MUSIC ABSORPTION AND SERENITY IN MUSIC LISTENERS: INTERVENING ROLE OF SPIRTUALITY

Abstract

The current research study investigated the relationship between music absorption, spirituality, and wellbeing in university students. It was hypothesized that there is likely to be a positive relationship between music absorption spirituality and wellbeing, and spirituality will mediate the relationship between music absorption and wellbeing. It was co-relational research with a cross-sectional design. The data from 165 university students (70 men, 95 women) were collected from different universities with the age range of 20-30 (M = 21.73, SD = 1.73), and a purposive sampling technique was used. Music absorption scale (AIMS) (Sandstrom, Russo, 2011), expression of spirituality inventory (ESI) (MacDonald, 2000), brief wellbeing scale (BSS) (Kreitzer, Mary Jo, et al., 2009), and short test of music preference (STOMP) (Rentfrow & Gosling 2013) were used as measurement tools. The Pearson product-moment correlation analysis revealed music absorption to be significantly positively correlated with wellbeing and spirituality. It was also found to be significantly positively correlated with music absorption and wellbeing. The result of mediation analysis (indirect effect) showed that spirituality as significant a mediator between music absorption and wellbeing. It is concluded that music along with spirituality or spiritual healing technique, can be very helpful in various psychological treatments.

It has been observed that Music listening became a common practice nowadays, and the use of music listening is seemingly growing. Listening to music has specific outcomes, so as well, spirituality and spiritual practices have merits. The current research study focused on understanding the relation between music absorption, how one gets him or herself engaged in the music, and how music absorption leads to wellbeing. The state of discontinuation of worries and stress can be called a state of wellbeing (Roberts & Cunningham, 1990). Spirituality was, on the other hand, a second component of finding its relation with wellbeing lastly, how spirituality plays its role between music absorption and wellbeing.