Christmas Music Can Harm Your Mental Health, Says Psychologist

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Here’s a warning you probably thought you’d never hear…

A Psychologist Says That Christmas Music Can Actually Harm Your Mental Health, 

Love it or loathe it but the fact remains, Christmas preparations get longer every year. Once upon a time it would be December before you would see the decorations going up or hear your first Christmas song. But nowadays, Halloween has barely finished before it is all systems go for preparing for the festive season.

Hearing Christmas music in November is all the rage now, yet there are some people who simply can’t stand listening to it until at least December.

If you are one of those who finds listening to Christmas carols in November grating, well fear not, you are not alone. In fact, a psychologist in Britain says too much Christmas music is actually bad for your mental health.

Linda Blair is a clinical psychologist, and she believes that hearing the music too early in the season forced people to remember all the things they have to do before the holiday actually arrives. Blair thinks that by forcing people to listen to the music on a constant loop, you are more likely going to begin focusing on all the stressful chores you need to do before the season arrives.

“People working in shops at Christmas have to learn how to tune out Christmas music, because if they don’t it really does make you unable to focus on anything else. You’re simply spending all of your energy trying not to hear what you’re hearing,” Blair explains to Sky News.

She explained that Christmas music is likely an irritant for people when they have to listen to it too early and in fact too loudly in stores.

Gary Grant, founder of “The Entertainer” retail store in the UK says “Our Christmas music gets integrated into the music that we play. So by the time you get into the middle of October, maybe we’re having one Christmas song out of four. And now we’re probably one out of two.” He believes that integrating the music early on “sets the tone” and that in a couple of weeks’ time they’ll be listening to all Christmas music.

However, it’s not just the UK that is breaking out the Christmas tunes and preparations early, but back in the US retailers are getting caught up in the whirlwind of preparing earlier each year.

The Tampa Bay Times created a survey on the top US retailers, and when they start playing holiday music. Best Buy beat all its competitors by starting their festive music season on October 22nd. Here’s a graphic as compiled by reporter Christopher Spata of the Tampa Bay Times.

Whether or not you are one of those people who like to hear Christmas music for almost three months, retailers are only trying to get people in the mood. When people are in the mood for Christmas, they will spend for Christmas, and that is a Marketer’s job done.

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