Chris Willy Arianto Understands Humans Through Music Psychology
Therapy, counselling, or organisation? These are the faces of psychology known to the public. However, Chris Willy Arianto, affectionately known as Billy, is more drawn to music psychology. For him, music plays a significant role in human life, influencing behaviour, emotional processing, thought processes, and daily living.
As head of the Master’s Psychology programme at Unika Atma Jaya, Billy has long had an interest in music. He even felt he was in the ‘wrong field’ when studying psychology. But during orientation, he was introduced to music psychology, which became a turning point in his motivation as he saw how music and psychology are deeply intertwined in everyday life. ‘Music is closely connected to human life,’ he explained.
Since then, he has viewed music not just as art but as an academic and research focus he continues to pursue. Music psychology is a branch of science studying the relationship between music and human behaviour. Through music, people can shape their mood, express emotions, and influence their thinking.
‘We aim to understand what makes music connect with intelligence, why listening to music can make us happy or sad. That’s what music psychology studies,’ he concluded.
From his research, Billy has discovered interesting aspects of music’s link to intelligence and mental health. One notable finding is the difference in information processing between musicians and non-musicians. ‘Musicians process information more quickly,’ he said. ‘But we don’t yet know if music makes someone smarter or if smart people are drawn to music,’ he added.
However, for Billy, music is not just about cognitive ability and intelligence. Behind the glittering world of music, he also sees the less-discussed aspect of professional musicians’ mental health. ‘Professional musicians have the most vulnerable quality of life and mental health. Therefore, we need to pay more attention to them,’ he explained.
Beyond his research role, Billy is active in the Indonesian Music Psychology community he co-founded with Lestika Madinah Hasibuan. The community was established due to his sadness over the limited development of music psychology in Indonesia, despite the country’s vast potential through cultural and musical diversity.
‘The Indonesian Music Psychology community serves as a shared space for musicians, composers, teachers, students, and the general public to learn about music psychology materials,’ he said.
For Billy, music extends beyond the melodies heard by the ears. Behind every rhythm lies the expression of emotions, thoughts, and life stories.
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