Abstract / Summary
Background: Climate change increasingly evokes complex emotional responses, yet little is known about how everyday practices, such as music listening, relate to these emotions. Given that music is one of the most common tools people use to manage affect in daily life, examining its role in the climate context offers huge potential for insights into eco-emotional experiences.
Methods: 312 adults completed an online survey on music‑based mood regulation and eco‑anxiety, eco‑grief, and eco‑guilt. Associations were examined using structural equation modelling.
Results: Zero-order bivariate correlations indicated positive correlations between eco-emotions and all music-based mood regulation strategies except for entertainment. Structural equation models further revealed two distinct patterns: using music for mental work, discharge, solace, and strong sensation were associated with higher levels of eco‑distress, whereas entertainment, revival, and diversion were linked to lower distress. This suggests that when distressing climate emotions arise, individuals who experience them more intensely may immerse themselves more deeply in their emotional processing through music, while those who experience less distress may use music in lighter, recreational ways. Qualitative responses showed that individuals use music in diverse ways to navigate climate emotions, including calming listening, engaging with climate‑themed lyrics, creative expression, community, and nature‑evoking soundscapes, while others reported no connection.
Conclusions: Findings highlight music as a meaningful yet heterogeneous context in which people relate to climate emotions, offering new insight into the emotional dimensions of the climate crisis. Through integrating music psychology and climate-emotion research, the study underlines the value of everyday cultural practices as part of individual and collective adaptation.