The five happiest songs from the 1980s, according to science
We listen to music for a variety of different reasons, but one of the most common is because we want to be happy.
Bon Jovi recently announced that they would be playing a run of exciting shows in 2026, intending on playing to stadiums around the world in one big celebration of great rock music. When discussing the upcoming shows, Bon Jovi focused a lot on the joy that was surrounding the announcement and how happy they were that people were excited.
“There is a lot of joy in this announcement – joy that we can share these nights together with our amazing fans and joy that the band can be together,” said the band, “I am lucky enough to be able to hold a light out to the audience each night and stand in their reflection for a tremendous collective experience – I get to stand in the WE of our concerts.”
“Joy” is the right word to use. You can only imagine what the atmosphere in Wembley will be like when the crowd blurt out the words to ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’ together, and rightly so, as the song was once branded as one of the happiest tracks from the 1980s. The Dutch neurologist, Dr Jacob Jolij, conducted a study to find out what we consider some of the happiest songs of all time. Bon Jovi were among the gleeful few.
It’s one of the five tracks that make up the happiest people can listen to. While a lot of us will likely nod in agreement to the suggestions, Dr Jolij is quick to point out that choosing the happiest songs of all time is not an exact science. Using his method can generate fairly broad and general results, but the subjectivity of music prevails.
“Music appreciation is highly personal and strongly depends on social context and personal associations,” he explained, “In that respect, the idea of a ‘feel good formula’ is a bit odd.”
His process for collating this data consisted of analysing the results from a widespread survey that he conducted. When conducting his research he would ask a mix of people from different walks of life their favourite happy music is. He then didn’t just choose the most commonly suggested songs, but used the results to work out what characteristics occurred most frequently in people’s answers. Afterwards, using this information, he was in a position to put together a list of what could be considered the five happiest songs from the ‘80s.
Jolij managed to pick out plenty of similarities that widely considered “happy” songs have in common. These included higher tempos (generally about 140 – 150 beats per minute), as well as major keys and lyrics that pertain to quite happy events. For instance, reverting back to ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’ while that song might talk about working long hours, it has optimism and community at its core, hence why so many different people love listening to it.
The subjectivity of music will always prevail. While these features all contribute towards creating a happy song, the memories we attach to music, alongside our personal preferences, will equally have an impact. These five tracks are not law; however, they are a good starting point if you’re keen on playing some music that will likely brighten someone’s mood.
The happiest songs from the ‘80s
- Bon Jovi – ‘Livin’ On a Prayer’
- Katrina and the Waves – ‘Walking on Sunshine’
- Cyndi Lauper – ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’
- Survivor – ‘Eye of the Tiger’
- Billy Joel – ‘Uptown Girl’
