What features of songs can cause personal and social harm? Phil Maffetone (read more: https://maffetonemusic.com/weaponized-music ) If something has the power to help us, it also has the potential for harm. From medicine, surgery, and hands-on therapies to dietary supplements and food, all have a spectrum of actions. Energy works much the same way. As Einstein said, everything in our world is energy, and it influences us in ways that range from subtle to violent. Music can be a powerful force too. In humans, as in all animals, certain song components, or traits, are vital for optimal performance, generally for health, survival, and on a basic biological level for sexual selection. These include song rate, repertoire variation, as well as song length and amplitude. Scientists sometimes refer to these traits as honest signals. (In songwriting, when a great song just feels great, these are some of the reasons that make it so.)