Abstract

This study aimed to determine how personalized music playlists influence the emotional regulation of college students. Emotional regulation plays a vital role in managing stress, focus, and motivation, particularly among students dealing with academic pressures. As music is often used to express and manage emotions, this research focused on understanding how self-selected or personalized playlists contribute to improving emotional well-being. A descriptive quasi-experimental design was used, employing a descriptive-survey method. The respondents consisted of 100 second-year Psychology students from Bestlink College of the Philippines, aged 18 to 25, who regularly listen to music as part of their daily routine and are not taking medications that may affect mood or emotions. The researchers utilized a validated questionnaire using a four-point Likert scale to measure the effects of personalized music playlists on emotional regulation in terms of stress management, focus and concentration, and motivation. Statistical tools such as frequency, percentage, weighted mean, standard deviation, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to analyze the data. Results showed that before listening to music, students experienced moderate levels of stress, difficulty in focusing, and low motivation. After listening to personalized music playlists, students showed significant improvement in emotional regulation. Stress levels decreased, focus and concentration improved, and motivation increased. Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference between pre-test and post-test results (p < 0.001). The findings indicate that personalized music playlists are effective in helping students regulate their emotions. Listening to self-selected music helped students feel calmer, more focused, and more motivated. This study suggests that personalized music can be a simple and practical tool to support emotional well-being among college students.