Study says Christmas music is bad for your mental health

It turns out Christmas music might not be helping you get into the spirit of the season. Photo / Spotify

It's meant to get us into the spirit of the season but a new study has shown that Christmas music might not actually be that great for us after all.

The incessant repetition of Christmas classics such as Mariah Carey's All I want for Christmas is You can have an adverse impact on listeners' mental health.

Throughout the season, people are bombarded with Christmas songs wherever they go, in any shop or commercial establishment and on TV adverts.

Experts say there is a U-shaped relationship between how much we listen to a song and how much we enjoy it, and that relationship is known as mere-exposure effect.

While Christmas songs may spark nostalgia, the incessant repetition can lead to annoyance and, in some cases, even distress.

The brain can become oversaturated and end up triggering a negative response, leading you to feel the opposite of the Christmas cheer and even worsening some stress you may be feeling related to the season, such as worries over spending money on gifts.

Christmas music can also be distracting and cause a decrease in staff productivity.

"People working in the shops [have to tune out] Christmas music, because if they don't, it really does stop you from being able to focus on anything else ... You're simply spending all of your energy trying not to hear what you're hearing," clinical psychologist Linda Blair says, quoted by Business Insider.

Experts recommend switching up the music from the same old classics to avoid boring the brain.

Good sound management is essential to avoid these adverse reactions.