Usually i pick the music depending on my mood but certain songs certainly affect my mood and then dictate the additional music i listen to afterwords. For instance if i hear a song such as, What a wonderful world by Joey Ramone or Louis Armstrong, Somewhere over the rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo Ole, or That's the way by Led Zeppelin i certainly feel sad as i listen and think about what they are saying. Happy music can to an extent change my mood but nothing compared to sad songs. So far no music has changed me from happy or sad to angry, which is probably a good thing.

There are times when I am really happy and I want to listen to up beat music! I don't want to hear sappy love songs or angry rock music. So in this case, my mood will dictate my radio station, mp3, or CD choice.

I'm going to have to say my MOOD always dictates what I listen to and for how long. Let's say if I get in the mood for a Classical moment I will only listen for a little while then switch to whatever my mood tells me to switch to.

I actually think it's a bit of both as well. Music very much affects my mood and if I go up or down that will tell me what's next on the list. I'm a sucker for a great love song and rich, full voices. In the car I mostly listen to love songs or oldies and sometimes a bit of light jazz. My tastes are so varied I am never without the right song for the right moment. When I'm traveling it's easy since I record my personal favorites from different artists so I don't tire of anyone or any genre.

Generally, I choose the music based upon my mood. However that could mean that I choose UP music to make me feel better or DOWN music to help me relax.

It affects us in both ways but mood will change our mind on which music should we listen to. Perhaps the music might change our mood and the cycle restarts all over again.

Your mood has a lot to do with wether or not you even want to listen to music. Like any other medium though, music has the ability to present meaningful information to your mind, and this can alter your mood, but that comes from the mind and ultimately the mood that the information is assigned to make you feel.

For instance, if you were to move from a house where people listened to classic rock, to a house where people listened to country, and you didn't like the people, when you heard country again, it would probably bring up bad memories or at least subconsciously trigger the feeling of being in the place where you had to listen to country... it would make you feel shitty because your mind links the bad times with the country music.

Really though, this is a simple question, though interesting in comparison to... everything else here. When you wake up on the wrong side of the bed would you say you're in a bad music? When you turn on your radio do you hear good mood? No, you start with the mood and use music, like coffee, to manipulate it. Music effects mood, but mood is first.

Personally i believe your mood affects the music you listen to. For instance if you have just broken up with your boyfriend you wont want to listen to happy up-beat music because you wont feel like dancing around. Just the same if you were happy you want want to listen to sad depressing music. But there are some one sided affects on the whole situation. Because if you are happy and you listen to sad depressing music you might become sad but if you are sad and you listen to up beat music your mood wont change and you end up grumpy and snapping at people because somebody is happy and you become jealous of everybody elses happiness. So ultimately i believe that mood is first in determining your music choices and behavior.!!!!!!

Well, I voted for Mood. And I say that because My mood always effects what i listened too. most people may say the music but i think differently.

Definitly mood first.... i mean if ur feeling sad u aint guna listen to pure "happy Days" even tho its ur favourite song.

It's not necessarily my mood, but what I feel like listening to in the car. Sometimes I feel like rock and sometimes I feel like top 40 hits. I suppose my mood has a little to do with this though.

I don't normally add arguments to each side, but in this case I feel that I personally can go both ways. On this side, if I am sad and am listening to the radio and a great, up beat, motivational song comes on, it will cheer me up and get me going (for example, the Black Eyed Peas "Let's Get It Started"). Or if I am happy and a sad song (think Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven") comes on my play list, I will get more sentimental or down.

I know i am late for this but i just found the site yay. However I do feel I must write in on this subject being as I wrote about this very thing for a college assignment. I personally believe it can go either way. Almost the whole which came first the chicken or the egg question. However I feel that the music has something to say and you take it to heart how you want. Have you ever been stuck in a car with someone and not had control of the radio? I know you have so think about it when they were listening to whatever it was did that not change your mood. If you were up did it bring you down and then in turn not fluster you because you were listening to it even thought you did not really want to? Again with the however, if you have full control over what you are listening to your mood can choose for you. If you are upbeat and want to stay that way you go out of your way to look for that upbeat song, do you not? Or if you are missing someone or a certain time in your life do you not go out of your way to find a song that reminds you of them. I find music VERY soul searching wonderful. I find new meanings in songs that Ive known for years. I find hope in songs that I hear for the first time. I love music and it in turn loves me back.

I would say music definitely affects my mood. When I am feeling tired before a soccer game, a pump up song always helps.

When I'm at home and I listen to some chill music it allows me to relax, even if I wasn't before.

As of lately it has been music first. The reason is because I have been using the random function to get a taste of things that aren't influenced by my mood and I try to use it to influence my mood. But typically, I would say, your mood has direct effect on music selection. In turn, it will also reflect and influence your mood.

I'm hardly one to pick up music/turn music on depending on my mood. The same way with what I smell will react a certain way (arousal, disgust, hunger, etc), equals the same that what I hear will cause a certain mood. I mean, it doesn't make sense that if you're hungry you'll suddenly be smelling barbecued food; you've got to smell it first to trigger it.

I think if you listen upbeat music when you're sad or down it brings your mood up. but if you listen to depressing or slow music it keeps you down.