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Main Authors: Chowdary, Pavani, Singh, Bhavyajeet, Agarwal, Rajat, Alluri, Vinoo
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.15575
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author Chowdary, Pavani
Singh, Bhavyajeet
Agarwal, Rajat
Alluri, Vinoo
author_facet Chowdary, Pavani
Singh, Bhavyajeet
Agarwal, Rajat
Alluri, Vinoo
contents Lyrics play a crucial role in affecting and reinforcing emotional states by providing meaning and emotional connotations that interact with the acoustic properties of the music. Specific lyrical themes and emotions may intensify existing negative states in listeners and may lead to undesirable outcomes, especially in listeners with mood disorders such as depression. Hence, it is important for such individuals to be mindful of their listening strategies. In this study, we examine online music consumption of individuals at risk of depression in light of lyrical themes and emotions. Lyrics obtained from the listening histories of 541 Last.fm users, divided into At-Risk and No-Risk based on their mental well-being scores, were analyzed using natural language processing techniques. Statistical analyses of the results revealed that individuals at risk for depression prefer songs with lyrics associated with low valence and low arousal. Additionally, lyrics associated with themes of denial, self-reference, and ambivalence were preferred. In contrast, themes such as liberation, familiarity, and activity are not as favored. This study opens up the possibility of an approach to assessing depression risk from the digital footprint of individuals and potentially developing personalized recommendation systems.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2408_15575
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Lyrically Speaking: Exploring the Link Between Lyrical Emotions, Themes and Depression Risk
Chowdary, Pavani
Singh, Bhavyajeet
Agarwal, Rajat
Alluri, Vinoo
Information Retrieval
Lyrics play a crucial role in affecting and reinforcing emotional states by providing meaning and emotional connotations that interact with the acoustic properties of the music. Specific lyrical themes and emotions may intensify existing negative states in listeners and may lead to undesirable outcomes, especially in listeners with mood disorders such as depression. Hence, it is important for such individuals to be mindful of their listening strategies. In this study, we examine online music consumption of individuals at risk of depression in light of lyrical themes and emotions. Lyrics obtained from the listening histories of 541 Last.fm users, divided into At-Risk and No-Risk based on their mental well-being scores, were analyzed using natural language processing techniques. Statistical analyses of the results revealed that individuals at risk for depression prefer songs with lyrics associated with low valence and low arousal. Additionally, lyrics associated with themes of denial, self-reference, and ambivalence were preferred. In contrast, themes such as liberation, familiarity, and activity are not as favored. This study opens up the possibility of an approach to assessing depression risk from the digital footprint of individuals and potentially developing personalized recommendation systems.
title Lyrically Speaking: Exploring the Link Between Lyrical Emotions, Themes and Depression Risk
topic Information Retrieval
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.15575