Bon Jovi, ABBA, Queen, Top Scientific ‘Feel-Good’ Playlist

If hearing “Livin’ on a Prayer” gives you an uncontrollable urge to fist-pump and sing along, it’s not because of nostalgia or your New Jersey roots. A new scientific study has assembled the most “feel-good” songs in music, and artists such as Bon Jovi, Queen, ABBA, Billy Joel, and more made the cut.

Dutch neuroscientist Dr. Jacob Jolij was commissioned by British electronics brand Alba to find a pattern in songs that people described in a survey as “feel-good."

And while personal preference is a varying factor, Dr. Jolij found that the most uplifting songs shared a high average tempo. He wrote: “Where the average tempo of pop songs is around 118 beats per minute, the list of feel-good songs had an average tempo of around 140 to 150 beats per minute.”

Other contributing factors include if the song is in a major key, and if it includes lyrics about a positive experience -- “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” for example. Dr. Jolij also took into account the season in which the song was released and its genre.

While he may have helped design a formula for picking out “feel-good” songs, Dr. Jolij didn’t actually pick the songs himself. Using their survey, Alba simply chose the most often mentioned song per decade which fit his formula and put together a list. And since it was a paid private commission, the data will not be released to the public.

Regardless, the list is made up of expected mainstream hits, like “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor, “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor, and “Walking On Sunshine” by Katrina & the Waves.

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