One thing I didn't mention in the Down Memory Lame post was what happened after I listened to Skinny Puppy. It was around midnight and I noticed something strange about my apartment: It was noticeably gloomy. The lights in the living room seemed almost feeble against the darkness. Outside the window it was inky black. All I could see was the faint glow of an electrical tower in the distance.

I'm sure the screams and menacing sounds of Skinny Puppy had somehow affected my visual perception. It made my world darker, literally.

It may be chromesthesia, a perceptual phenomenon in which heard sounds automatically and involuntarily evoke an experience of color. We all have at least a touch of chromesthesia, in that we associate high pitched sounds with lighter or brighter colors and low pitched sounds with darker colors. With more acute versions, people will see (either with their eyes or mind's eye) colors that are triggered by words or individual musical notes.

Alternatively, positive mood broadens visual attention. Broadening, as defined in the study, is "having a wider array of perceptions, thoughts, and actions, with the consequences of broadening being flexible, creative and unusual thinking." If that's the case, then listening to music that promotes joy, hope, love, gratitude and other positive emotions will improve your capacity to see the world better.

Next time you're feeling limited or blocked in some way, try listening to uplifting music. It may help you "see" more possibilities.