The design psychology behind lofi music

Lofi girl. The person who carried us through all of our exams, cram study sessions, and moments where we just needed to focus or chill. Lofi and chill-hop music work, but why is that? What is the psychology behind it? There is undeniable science behind music on our emotions, cognitive abilities, and behavior. But what is it about Lofi that makes it the token study music?

In this video, I delve into a design analysis of Lofi music. From research papers to talks from neuroscientists, there is much to be said about this genre of music. And, to validate the science, I conducted an experiment…on myself.

Sources (video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZFFwy5fwYI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeFujF6LdAM&t=115s

Sources (articles)
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338135849_Beats_to_RelaxStudy_To_Contradiction_and_Paradox_in_Lo-Fi_Hip_Hop
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1388245706014258
https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=128453

Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs8WEeYQM3s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5BNQDzXEu8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP26BCigqn0&list=PLdsGes2mFh92eHpOZVJQgoubb6rF0CcvU&index=18

You're busy, I gotchu
0:00 - What's up?
1:19 - What even is "lofi"?
2:28 - Why do we like imperfect music?
3:15 - How does lofi music affect our brain?
4:33 - How does music impact our emotions?
5:12 - Our brain waves change?
6:00 - I experimented on myself?
9:12 - What's the "social" design behind lofi music?
10:17 - Why do we feel like a main character?