Music has a profound impact on human culture and can evoke intense emotions and bodily sensations. A new study published in iScience on April 4 delved into the connection between musical chords and bodily sensations and emotions. Led by Tatsuya Daikoku from The University of Tokyo, the research aimed to understand how the perception of unique musical chords elicits specific sensations in the body and emotional responses. They conducted experiments with 527 participants, asking them to map where they felt sensations in their bodies and the emotions they experienced while listening to different chord progressions of varying predictability.
The researchers found that the uncertainty and surprise in musical chord progressions played a significant role in eliciting bodily sensations and emotional responses. They created 92 unique chord progressions with differing levels of uncertainty and surprise and asked participants to respond with clicks to indicate where they felt the chords in their bodies. They discovered that certain chord progressions sparked sensations in the heart, while others were more felt in the stomach. These bodily sensations were linked to aesthetic appreciation and positive emotions towards the music. The study also revealed a connection between uncertainty and surprise and the elicitation of these bodily sensations and emotional responses.
Different types of chord progressions were found to evoke distinct emotions in participants. For example, certain chords led to feelings of aesthetic appreciation, resulting in a decrease in negative emotions such as awkwardness and anxiety. More predictable chord progressions, on the other hand, brought about feelings of calmness, relief, satisfaction, nostalgia, and empathy. The researchers suggested that these emotions and sensations experienced during music listening are linked to musical interoception, which encompasses all sensory feedback from the body. They also proposed that this experience may be related to mental well-being.
The study sheds light on how music can affect our minds and bodies, providing insights into the complex interplay between musical uncertainty, prediction error, and emotional responses. The researchers hope that their findings will contribute to a better understanding of the profound impact music has on human emotions and well-being. In future studies, they plan to explore how the maps of bodily sensations uncovered in this research relate to physiological responses, such as changes in heart rate, to music. Ultimately, this research highlights the power of music to evoke deep emotional and bodily responses in individuals, underscoring its importance in human culture and well-being.
