Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys has been revealed as the song that makes people happiest, according to a scientific formula developed by a university professor.
The 1966 hit single ticks all the boxes in the formula devised by Dr Michael Bonshor, who has a PhD in music psychology and has researched music in relation to wellbeing extensively.
To create a happy song, Dr Bonshor believes combining a combination of a major key, 7th chords, 137 BPM, strong beat, four beats in every bar, and a verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure is a sure-fire way to produce one.
It should also have a short intro, repeated riffs, high volume, bright tone and a mix of predictability and surprise.
Other tracks which follow this formula include I Got You (I Feel Good) by James Brown, House of Fun by Madness and Get the Party Started by P!nk.
The happy formula has also been turned into a pitch-perfect track, called The Lighter Note, featuring upbeat notes, peppy chords and feel-good musical breaks – which has been produced by Jamie P and Oliver Price and is available on Soundcloud.
The track was commissioned by Müllerlight, which teamed up with Dr Bonshor and also conducted research of 2,000 adults that discovered 32 per cent turn to music daily to improve their mood.
Good for the soul
Dr Bonshor said: “Previous studies have found songs are perceived as happy if they are in a major key, with a sweet spot of approximately 137 beats per minute.
“We like ‘7th chords’ as they add interest; regular chords use three notes, whereas ‘7th chords’ add an extra note which provides a sense of musical ‘tension’ and ‘relief’.
“Alongside this, cheery songs usually have a strong 1-2-1-2 beat to them, so that you can dance along – and a short introduction means the song kicks off with
