Blue Monday: How to use music to beat Blue Monday 2025 and boost your mood - including certain genres

• 2025’s Blue Monday takes place on January 20 2025.
• The day has become synonymous with a period of the year where post-Christmas blues and New Year’s resolutions failing come to a head.
• Thankfully though, through the power of music, there are some things you can do this year to help boost your mood and get through ‘the saddest day of the year.’

Blue Monday 2025 is set to take place just after the weekend (January 20 2025), with the third Monday in January each year considered the most depressing day of the year.

But why is it considered the most depressing day of each year? Well, according to psychologist Dr. Cliff Arnall devised a formula to identify the ‘saddest day of the year,’ which factored in the weather, low motivation, post-holiday blues, failed New Year’s resolutions and the debt some of us are still paying off after Christmas.

Though there are critics, such as psychologists who argue that labelling one specific day as "the most depressing" trivializes mental health issues, which can occur at any time of the year, the concept has stuck since the term was initially used in 2005 - admittedly as part of a travel campaign for Sky Travel.

Regardless of Blue Monday being a thing or not (quite evidently the concept is here to stay), let’s be honest; the drudgery of waking up on a Monday morning especially in the cold weather and dark mornings, doesn’t inspire an upbeat day.

But as you stave off the ‘Sunday Scaries’ ahead of the weekend, there are a couple of things that can help boost your mood, be it on Blue Monday or any day of the week - and most of which is as simple as listening to and taking part in making music.

How to use music to beat Blue Monday in 2025

Start your upbeat playlist first thing in the morning

Why bother waiting until late morning on Blue Monday to circumvent the blues? A 2013 study published in Psychological Science found that people who started their mornings with positive stimuli, including music, were more likely to maintain good moods and higher productivity levels throughout the day.

Cortisol, the body’s stress hormone, peaks in the morning as part of the natural circadian rhythm. Listening to soothing music in the morning can help reduce cortisol spikes, making you feel calmer and more focused, according to a 2018 study from The Journal of Positive Psychology.

There is also a 2020 study in Chronobiology International noted that morning light exposure enhances the mood-boosting effects of dopamine-triggering activities, including listening to music.

While music can improve mood at any time, the morning is particularly impactful due to setting the tone for the day. Cortisol and dopamine levels are more responsive to external stimuli in the morning and the brain is primed to process and retain positive stimuli upon waking.

Genres are the key - for most

No doubt you’ve seen many playlists on Spotify with all-and-sundry of buzz words to entice you to their mood-busting melodies, but there are certain genres of music that research has proven are more likely to enhance your mood compared to others.

While PLOS ONE’s 2017 study found that listening to "happy" music (fast tempo and major key) significantly increased creative thinking and positivity, it’s not just Taylor Swift or Sabrina Carpenter pop songs that can boost your mood on Blue Monday.

That same study also revealed that Classical music, more specifically those pieces from the Baroque and Romantic periods, have been shown to reduce stress levels, lower blood pressure and improve relaxation - with Baroque music in particular singled out due to its steady rhythms and melodies being particularly soothing.

But sometimes you just need to listen to something cathartic; that’s where jazz and blues music can provide an outlet for those feelings by expressing deep emotions, which helps listeners process feelings like sadness or anxiety.

Emotional expression through music is supported by findings from a Psychology of Music study (2019), which showed that people feel relief and connection by listening to emotionally resonant music.

Break out the guitar and have a jam

Singing or playing music with others has long been associated with significant mental health benefits. Whether you’re singing your heart out with friends or strumming along on a guitar in a group setting, these activities foster social connection, boost mood, and even improve cognitive function.

Singing or playing instruments with others creates a sense of shared experience and emotional bonding. The act of harmonizing or collaborating on rhythms releases oxytocin, often called the "bonding hormone," which fosters feelings of trust and connection (Frontiers in Psychology, 2016.)

Actively engaging in music-making distracts the brain from stressors by focusing on rhythm, melody, and collaboration. This not only lowers cortisol levels but also induces relaxation.

If you’ve also ever found yourself singing in the shower or singing on your way to work - good! Singing loudly or playing instruments in a group leads to a release of endorphins with group activities amplifying this effect, as the communal atmosphere intensifies the emotional reward.

What are your techniques used to boost your mood not only during Blue Monday but on those days you struggle with everything? Share how you cope or the songs on your mood-boosting playlist by leaving a comment down below.