Freddie Mercury performing with Queen at the Rock in Rio festival, Brazil, January 1985. Photo / Getty
A 2015 study into what makes a song 'feel-good' has re-emerged in recent days thanks to the vagaries of social media.
Dr Jacob Jolij, a cognitive neuroscientist the University of Groningen in Holland, was commissioned by British electronics brand called Alba to investigate data it gathered on UK residents' musical
preference, and their favourite songs to improve their moods.
Dr Jolij said: "A feel good song is very personal. Music is intimately linked with memory and emotion, and these associations strongly determine whether a song will put you in a good mood or not.
"However, there are some key criteria for composers to consider when creating feel good songs - namely lyrical theme, musical key, and tempo.
"Holiday-themed lyrics naturally remind us of happy times, while a major third musical key sounds happy to our ears and something we associate with confidence.
