Music and Positive Emotions

A Finnish study reveals how music can evoke emotions that manifest physically, mapping where in the body these sensations are felt depending on the type of song being listened to. “Music that triggers different emotions, such as joy, sadness, or fear, is perceived in distinct parts of the body,” said Vesa Putkinen, a researcher at the University of Turku. “For example, cheerful, danceable music was felt in the arms and legs, while tender and sad music was perceived in the chest area.”

The researchers found that music-induced emotions are expressed in similar ways universally, suggesting that these reactions are likely not influenced by culture or learning but are instead rooted in biology and instinct. The study involved 1,500 participants from China, Western Europe, and North America, who listened to excerpts from 36 Western and 36 East Asian songs. The melodies were grouped into six categories identified by a separate group of participants: cheerful (e.g., "Mamma Mia" by ABBA), sad (e.g., "Someone Like You" by Adele), scary, tender (e.g., Jeff Buckley’s version of "Hallelujah"), aggressive (e.g., "Angel of Death" by Slayer), and danceable.

Participants reported feeling tender and sad songs in the chest and head area, while scary songs produced sensations in the gut. Cheerful and danceable songs were felt throughout the body, particularly in the limbs. Aggressive music also triggered a full-body response, especially in the head. While the intensity and expression of these emotions varied depending on cultural context and individual neural foundations, the universal biological reactions remained evident.

Listening and Imitation

Another study tested over 900 people from 15 different countries, including those from societies with distinct rhythmic patterns not found in Western music. Participants were played musical patterns and asked to replicate them by tapping their fingers, measuring the deviation when imitating standardized rhythms they had just heard.

“As the task progressed, participants became increasingly likely to reproduce what they thought they had heard rather than what they were actually hearing,” explained Nori Jacoby, a psychologist from MIT who led the experiment, recently published in Nature. This iterative process revealed each listener's natural expectations and biases.

All groups showed a shared inclination toward specific rhythmic patterns, suggesting a commonality in musical cognition. For example, constant rhythms like "Jingle Bells" were universally recognized, even among those unfamiliar with Western music. However, when more varied rhythms were introduced, cultural and personal biases began to play a role.

These studies shed light on how music affects our neurons, bodies, and emotions, providing deeper insights into its universal power.