Perceived Stress and Affect (Positive & Negative) in Musicians and Non-Musicians

Abstract

The current study investigated the relationship between musical participation and emotional well- being. The study compared perceived stress and positive and negative affect levels among musicians and non-musicians. Participants included 100+ adults (18-25 years old) recruited through purposive sampling. Musicians actively played an instrument for at least 2 years with regular practice, while non-musicians had minimal or no musical experience. The Perceived Stress Scale ("PSS") measured perceived stress, and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule ("PANAS") assessed positive and negative emotions. Descriptive statistics summarized the data for each group. Normality tests confirmed data suitability for parametric analysis. Independent samples t-tests compared musicians and non-musicians on all variables. The results revealed no significant differences between the groups in perceived stress, positive affect, negative affect, perceived helplessness, or lack of self-efficacy. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, musicians did not report lower stress or higher positive affect compared to non-musicians. Further research might explore the influence of factors like music genre, practice intensity, or performance anxiety on emotional well-being in musicians.