1966 Summer Anthem Is the ‘Happiest Song of All Time’, According to Science
Follow 1966 Summer Anthem Is the ‘Happiest Song of All Time’, According to Science Bethany Gemmell Sat, August 22, 2026 at 8:36 PM UTC 2 min read Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
1966 Summer Anthem Is the ‘Happiest Song of All Time’, According to Science If you ask almost any person with a decent grip on the history of popular music, they’ll agree that The Beach Boys ‘ global smash “Good Vibrations” is a certified summer banger — but few will be aware that Brian Wilson’s “Pocket Symphony,” as the pop song was marketed as at the time, may actually be good for your health.
According to a 2023 study by Dr. Michael Bonshor , who has a PhD in music psychology and is an expert in the relationship between music and human wellbeing, some number-crunching saw the 1966 chart-topper come out on top when it came to his formula for music making its listeners happy.
Dr. Bonshor stated his formula for mood-boosting music requires “a combination of a major key, 7th chords, 137 BPM, strong beat, four beats in every bar, and a verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure,” with an additional “short intro, repeated riffs, high volume, bright tone, and a mix of predictability and surprise,” for maximum points-scoring (per StudyFinds ) .
Advertisement Advertisement After combing through the most popular songs of all time to see what meets the criteria, Bonshor revealed his final ranking for music that brought the most positive feelings to its listener, according to his formula:
Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys (1966)
I Got You (I Feel Good) by James Brown (1965)
House of Fun by Madness (1982)
Get the Party Started by P!nk (2001)
Uptown Girl by Billy Joel (1983)
Sun Is Shining by Bob Marley (1971)
I Get Around by The Beach Boys (1964)
YMCA by Village People (1978)
Waterloo by ABBA (1974)
September by Earth, Wind & Fire (1978)
The Beach Boys are the only artists to feature twice in the list, thanks to Brian Wilson’s unparalleled gifts as a composer. Wilson, known for his unorthodox approach to production, often utilizing non-musical instruments in his work, alongside complicated vocal arrangements and harmonies, was able to create something uniquely human, cerebral yet intuitive, in a work that pushed the boundaries of pop.
“I had a lot of unfinished ideas, fragments of music I called ‘feels.’ Each feel represented a mood or an emotion I’d felt, and I planned to fit them together like a mosaic,” Wilson said of “Good Vibrations” (via brianwilson.com).
Advertisement Advertisement Wilson’s technical achievements were all the more impressive, given that he had extensive hearing loss, at almost 90% in his right ear, when he created such complex musical arrangements, making him a modern music icon comparable to Ludwig van Beethoven , who also had a similar aptitude for hearing music within the mind outside of conventional audio. As Bob Dylan once remarked, “That ear – I mean, Jesus, he’s got to will that to the Smithsonian” (via Washington Post ).
This story was originally published by Men’s Journal on Aug 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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