How And Why Are Music And Emotion Linked?

Some people listen to music to shift their mood, while others do so to help alleviate feelings of unhappiness, or emotional discomfort. In the article “Music Evokes Vicarious Emotions in Listeners” published in 2014 by Ai Kawakami, Kiyoshi Furukawa, and Kazuo Okanoya, proposes that “we listen to sad music because it is possible to distinguish perceived emotions from those that are experienced”. (Kawakami, Kiyoshi, Okanoya) Therefore, even though sad music is usually perceived as something negative, listeners actually feel pleasant emotions while listening to sad music.

Music affects people in various ways. Ones reaction to music differs from person to person. It can evoke emotions of both joy and happiness. Music can stir up old memories of different times, places, and people. In the U.S. a major part of life is music, as stated by Natalie Guice Adams and Pamela J. Bettis, “ American institution that can tell us something about ourselves, like jazz, baseball, and cheerleading, are also not static but being created anew with each generation.” (Remix 240.) One can see how large of a role music plays in people’s lives, and that’s why I’m proposing a holiday based on celebrating and enjoying music all over the world. One thing that just about

Music is a key factor in my life, now and has been for as long as I remember. Music is one thing that can control my mood and emotions unlike any other. The sounds and melodies of the composition have the potential to sway my moods from a dark gloomy state all the way to a joyous and soothing harmonic atmosphere. Music allows me to control how and what I want to be, or represent. Music is almost like picking out a favorite outfit. When one picks out an outfit to wear they most likely pick an outfit that expresses them and how they are feeling at that direct moment. They have the ability to change shoes, accessories, or their hairstyle to make it

The four major theories of emotion are the James-Lange theory, the Cannon-Bard theory, the Schacter-Singer theory, and the Lazarus theory. The James-Lange theory claims that an event first causes physiological arousal and also a physical response.  It is not until then that the person interprets the physical response as an emotion. The Cannon-Bard theory states that emotion -provoking stimuli are received by the senses and are then relayed simultaneously to the cerebral cortex, which provides the conscious mental experience of the emotion, and to the sympathetic nervous system, which produces the physiological state of arousal. The Schacter-Singer theory states that for an emotion to occur there must first be a physiological arousal, and second there must be an explanation for the arousal. The Lazarus theory is the theory that an emotion-provoking stimulus triggers a cognitive appraisal, which is followed by the emotion and physiological arousal. The most valid theory of emotion is the Cannon-Bard theory. He says that being afraid of something not only constitutes emotional fear, but it also brings about a rapid heartbeat. Concurring with the Cannon-Bard theory, we have a many different nerve systems within the human body that can be triggered simultaneously. This theory is more valid then the rest simply because of the adrenaline that is release into your body when excited or in the mist of eminent danger. The

Music has always been emotionally evocative to me since I was young. I am always able to recall just how extreme the atmosphere and mood can be enhanced by music. Whether at a bitter-sweet moment in a TV show or at a heroic moment in a video game music is always there to multiply the emotions of the scene tenfold. Even today I find myself recalling emotions and feeling them all over again whenever I listen to a particular piece of music, especially so for ones that went along with a highly memorable scene in a show or game. I wind up pumping my fist in the air all over again if inspiring, or fighting back tears if morose. I never knew why music affected me so or how, and so after learning of this assignment I decided it was time I looked into it. Why this story matters is simple. It is simply the reason I ever asked this question. I wanted to know why music could affect emotions to such an extent, and why it could leave such lasting impacts.

Emotions run deep within music. Music has the ability to change our moods within minutes, or even seconds. The simplest of arrangements can move us in ways that words cannot. You can see this in every period of time. Through happiness and through strife, we grow attached to the music that touches us the most. When I feel sorrowful, I listen to the music that helps repair the damage to my heart. When I feel joyous, I listen to the music that energizes my already energetic mood. No matter what I’m feeling, my emotions can be seen in the music I write and the music I listen to. Music has been and will always be a major part of life,

For my iSearch paper I am researching how music affects the brain and people 's emotions. Although this is a complex issue, my passion has always involved music and an interest in how it affects how people react and think. I play the violin, and from personal experience I have noticed that when I am playing I have an emotional connection to the piece, whether it is sad, happy, or even upsetting. I have also noticed that the audience has an emotional impact based on what was performed. I plan to research scientific journals that record information and tests on how listening to music affects the brain and to look for documentation of someone exposing music to a culture that has no access to music and

“Music has become a fundamental part of our lives, which is why students are so eager to know whether it will negatively or positively impact their studying.” (Goodwin, 2015). Whenever we are upset or down, or even happy or angry, we

If music reveals emotions, it is not a normal emotion like any other (Stecker 273). The expression in music can be considered a traditionalized phenomenon (Stecker 273). There are common questions about

How different types of music effect your personal moral choices? We think that words are powerful and within songs the meanings itself can grab a hold of your subconscious. Music has been proven to affect moods in both negative and positive but this is to prove if the wording and rhythm in songs can affect your long term and short term choices. The problem music can many influences our main dilemma is it causes depression and anxiety to certain things without the person even realizing it. Through this project we hope to get more people aware of what they listen to and how it affects them. Another reason why we chose this topic is music is very big part of everybody’s lives and we have noticed music to be very influential in our lives as well

The article provides a general overview of how music can evoke specific memories. Hearing music activates the limbic system, which takes part in controlling the memory and emotions, and automatically, brings up autobiographical and episodic memories. One of the strong emotions that music evokes is nostalgia. In general, this article provides useful background information on that music evokes emotions, but does not necessarily define feelings. Since some sad songs can be associated with happy memories, and happy on opposite --with the

Thesis: Music is a unique form of sound powerful enough to manipulate mood, feelings, and cognition.

The impact of music on positive psychology and emotion is a well known fact. Music has an extraordinary ability to change people’s emotions. In humans, music has the ability to invoke emotions of sadness, happiness and even fear (Goycoolea, Levy & Ramirez, 2013). The ability of music to alter human mood makes it one of the greatest subjects of positive psychology. Seligman (2011) argued that even though a lot of effort has been spent on psychotherapy and pharmacology, such interventions are not

Chapter 1 explains the work of a Harvard psychologist named William James. William published the article “What is an Emotion?” in a philosophical journal entitled Mind in 1884. His paper is an argument for the primacy and necessity of bodily systems in producing emotional feelings. James-Lange theory states that physiological arousal instigates the experience of emotion. A Harvard physiologist, Walter Cannon, roundly criticized James’ theory, claiming that, according to the Cannon Bard theory, physiological changes follow emotional expression.

A study conducted by Martin (2004) implied that positive mood has a beneficial effect on health. These implications suggest that since music can influence mood, ultimately music will influence health. A study conducted by Callaghan (2013) was also able to show music’s effect on mood, also increased creativity. Creativity was tested by a divergent thinking task, with either happy or sad music playing in the background (Callaghan and Growley 2013.) The results of this study implied that creativity levels measured by this task were higher in those with happy background music as opposed to sad (Callaghan and Growley 2013.) Music also has the ability to predict empathy in individuals (Egerman and McAdams 2013.) In the study conducted by Egerman and McAdams, recognition and initiation of an emotion were tested and reported by participants while listening to various musical selections (Egerman and McAdams 2013.) Participants in the recognition rating condition reported lower levels of stimulation of the portrayed emotion in the music than those who were placed in the felt rating condition (Egerman and McAdams