I love ABBA. Like really love ABBA. For those rare few anomalies who don’t share my deep love of ABBA, I gently urge you to take a moment of musical introspection—and then walk boldly toward the light of everything happy with me.
Why? Because it’s scientifically proven that Dancing Queen is one of the top 10 happiest songs ever. That’s not just my disco-loving opinion—that’s neuroscience talking.
Dr. Jacob Jolij, a cognitive neuroscience researcher, actually created a formula to measure how happy a song can make us. He evaluated tracks based on three key things: tempo (a minimum of 150 beats per minute), positivity of the lyrics, and whether the song is in a major key.
Based on that, he created a playlist of the top 10 songs most likely to boost your mood. And yes—Dancing Queen made the cut. As it should.
Side note: My grown kids know the lyrics to almost every ABBA song. This is one of my proudest parenting accomplishments, and I will absolutely die on this glitter-soaked hill.
So what does this have to do with real estate? Everything. Your mindset is your magic. Music can shift your mood, clear your head, and get you in the right energy to show up, connect, and close the deal. It can literally rewire your brain for happiness. And happy brains? They work better. Focus better. Lead better. SELL better.
If you’ve got Spotify, there’s already a playlist made for you: The 10 Happiest Songs According to Neuroscientists. Start your day there.
Here’s the full list of Dr. Jolij’s feel-good anthems:
1. Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen
2. Dancing Queen – ABBA
3. Good Vibrations – The Beach Boys
4. Uptown Girl – Billy Joel
5. Eye of the Tiger – Survivor
6. I’m a Believer – The Monkees
7. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper
8. Livin’ on a Prayer – Bon Jovi
9. I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
10. Walking on Sunshine – Katrina & The Waves
So go ahead—be the Dancing Queen. Just don’t forget the power of pressing play.