The psychological basis of music appreciation: Structure, self, source.

Abstract

Research has investigated psychological processes in an attempt to explain how and why people appreciate music. Three programs of research have shed light on these processes. The first focuses on the appreciation of musical structure. The second investigates self-oriented responses to music, including music-evoked autobiographical memories, the reinforcement of a sense of self, and benefits to individual health and wellbeing. The third seeks to explain how music listeners become sensitive to the causal and contextual sources of music making, including the biomechanics of performance, knowledge of musicians and their intentions, and the cultural and historical context of music making. To date, these programs of research have been carried out with little interaction, and the third program has been omitted from most psychological enquiries into music appreciation. In this paper, we review evidence for these three forms of appreciation. The evidence reviewed acknowledges the enormous diversity in antecedents and causes of music appreciation across contexts, individuals, cultures, and historical periods. We identify the inputs and outputs of appreciation, propose processes that influence the forms that appreciation can take, and make predictions for future research. Evidence for source sensitivity is emphasized because the topic has been largely unacknowledged in previous discussions. This evidence implicates a set of unexplored processes that bring to mind causal and contextual details associated with music, and that shape our appreciation of music in important ways.

A web app-based music intervention reduces experimental thermal pain: A randomized trial on preferred versus least-liked music style

“…The literature supports enormous diversity in antecedents and causes of music appreciation across contexts, individuals, cultures, and historical periods. But the processes implicated in that are still unexplored ( 67 ).…”

Music, Pleasure, and Meaning: The Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motivations for Music (HEMM) Scale

“…Described as a ‘paradox’, deliberately engaging with media that conveys difficult emotions such as sadness, anger, and disgust seems to contradict the assumed function of media—enjoyment [ 4 , 5 ]. However, although enjoyment and positive experiences are primary motivators and outcomes of musical engagement [ 6 , 7 ], people also seek out music that is not merely enjoyable or pleasurable [ 8 ].…”

“…Research has investigated the influence of musical experiences on emotions, detailing how music can evoke a broad range of affective and physiological experiences in individuals, groups, and societies [ 8 , 22 , 32 , 33 ]. Musical experiences of pleasure can result in feelings of joy, empowerment, and transcendence [ 11 ], as well as the psychophysiological sensations of musical ‘chills’ and ‘thrills’ (for a discussion, see [ 32 ]).…”

“…These strong emotional and physiological responses have been associated with increased blood flow to brain regions related to reward [ 34 ]. While personal preferences, musical features, and cultural and contextual factors influence the kinds of music that can evoke such intense pleasurable experiences [ 8 , 32 ], it is unsurprising that pursuing pleasure and enjoyment in musical experiences is a primary motivator for many listeners and fans.…”

“…Furthermore, Study 2 predicted that eudaimonic motivation would be associated with mixed affective responses to music. While pleasure remains a dominant motivator and experiential outcome of music engagement, people listen to music to evoke a range of complex feelings and challenging experiences, such as reflecting upon themselves, their identity and values, or the emotions of others in different historical or sociopolitical contexts [ 8 , 11 ]. Music and other media can provide spaces to confront difficult challenges in a ‘safe’ environment through a different cognitive frame [ 37 ].…”