Mood History
2000 to Present — 25 years of national mood data across 4 indices
National Mood Over Time
All 4 indices normalized to 0–100. The dashed NMS line is the weighted composite.
Notable Events
Dot-com Peak
9/11 Attacks
Post-9/11 Escapism
Charts turned euphoric as escapism — people craved upbeat pop after 9/11.
Dot-com Bottom
Hurricane Katrina
Pre-Crisis Peak
Lehman Brothers Bankruptcy
Recession Pop begins — dance music dominates as economy crashes.
Peak Escapism (GFC)
Lady Gaga, Kesha, T-Pain — BSI hits all-time low as escapism peaks.
Market Bottom
Recession Pop Peak
Gangnam Style
"Happy" (Pharrell) Era
Adele "Hello" Peak
Post-Election Mood
COVID-19 Pandemic Declared
Rare genuine sadness spike — The Weeknd, isolation ballads.
COVID Lockdown Peak Sadness
Peak COVID sadness — lockdown isolation drives the darkest charts in decades.
Pfizer Vaccine News
Vaccine Euphoria Peak
Euphoric rebound — Olivia Rodrigo, Dua Lipa lead the charge.
Bear Market + Vibecession
SVB Collapse
Brat Summer Peak
Charli XCX & Sabrina Carpenter define the summer sound.
Key Insight: The Escapism Pattern
Notice how the BSI drops (charts get brighter) during recessions? When times get hard, people don't wallow — they seek musical escapism. The 2008 financial crisis gave us Gaga and Kesha. COVID was the rare exception where genuine sadness briefly dominated the charts.
This Week's Data
Current BSI score & track breakdown
Our Methodology
How BSI is calculated & research