Listening to higher quality music improves our mental well-being and physical health, a survey has found.
More than 3,000 people across seven European countries revealed that people who listen to audio for two hours a day or more are happier than those who don't.
People who listened to music for three or more hours a day also claim it is more essential than coffee, sex, or TV.
Better quality sound, it found, makes the music feel more emotional than wen it comes from a lower quality source.
Professor Daniel Müllensiefen, music psychologist at Goldsmith's College, University of London, said: 'High sound quality has a significant correlation to stronger positive emotions, a richer musical experience and general happiness.
'It is also exciting to note that this is apparently not a culturally influenced effect, since there were hardly any differences in the results between the individual countries.'
People in the UK, Germany, Poland, Netherlands, France, Denmark and Sweden answered an online survey by Sonos assessing how sound affected their lives.
Over half of respondents (58 per cent) said music reveals more about a person than their political leaning, while 46 per cent say musical preferences could change the way they think of a politician.
People also see music as a key way of viewing people, with three quarters of people saying they feel an instant connection to people who like the same music.
Music is also crucial for many people in reducing stress levels.
Thirty-eight per cent of people reported feeling stress-free while listening to music, despite only five per cent of people saying they have a stress-free life.
What we choose to listen to also varies hugely in different regions, with people in the UK preferring podcasts.
EU listeners prefer podcasts about culture, crime, science and medicinal topics while Britons prefer shows oriented on music, TV, film and comedy.
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