Music is in the Muscle: How Embodied Cognition May Influence Music Preferences

2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Sedlmeier ◽  
Oliver Weigelt ◽  
Eva Walther
Keyword(s):  
Embodied Cognition ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Positive And Negative Affect ◽  
Music Listening ◽  
Body Movements ◽  
Music Preferences ◽  
Preference Ratings ◽  
Muscle Groups ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Horizontal Head

Music is Intimately Connected with Body movements. Until recently, research has almost exclusively examined the impact of music on body movements. Yet findings on embodied cognition in other domains suggest that the influence might also work in the opposite direction: Real or imagined body movements during music listening may codetermine music preferences. We had participants listen to music and concurrently activate muscles whose innervation has been shown to be associated with "positive" and "negative" affect (activation vs. inhibition of smiling muscles, vertical vs. horizontal head movements, and arm flexion vs. arm extension). Activation of the positively associated muscle groups led to higher preference ratings for the music pieces than activation of the negatively associated ones. A first exploration of candidate explanations for the effect suggests that it is most likely due to conditioning processes. It is concluded that body movements, both real and imagined, may play an important role in the development of music preferences.

scholarly journals Positive and Negative Affect Changes during Gender-Affirming Hormonal Treatment: Results from the European Network for the Investigation of Gender Incongruence (ENIGI)

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 296
Author(s):  
Imke Matthys ◽  
Justine Defreyne ◽  
Els Elaut ◽  
Alessandra Daphne Fisher ◽  
Baudewijntje P. C. Kreukels ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Sex Steroids ◽  
Hormonal Treatment ◽  
Control Group ◽  
First Year ◽  
Positive And Negative Affect ◽  
European Network ◽  
Psychological Burden ◽  
The Impact

Improving transgender people’s quality of life (QoL) is the most important goal of gender-affirming care. Prospective changes in affect can influence QoL. We aim to assess the impact of initiating gender-affirming hormonal treatment (HT) on affect. In the European Network for the Investigation of Gender Incongruence (ENIGI) study, we prospectively collected data of 873 participants (451 transwomen (TW) and 422 transmen (TM)). At baseline, psychological questionnaires including the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) were administered. The PANAS, levels of sex steroids and physical changes were registered at each follow-up visit during a 3-year follow-up period, starting at the initiation of hormonal therapy. Data were analyzed cross-sectionally and prospectively. Over the first three months, we observed a decline in positive affect (PA) in both TM and TW. Thereafter, PA reached a steady state in TW, whereas in TM there was also a second decline at 18 months. In both TM and TW there was no persisting difference comparing baseline to the 36-months results. Concerning negative affect (NA), we observed a decline during the first year in TM, which sustained during the second year and was not different anymore at 36 months compared to baseline. In TW though, we did not find any change of NA during the entire follow-up. Even if some of these results show significant differences, they should be considered with caution, since there was no control group and the absolute differences are small. No association between affect and the level of sex steroids was observed. Baseline QoL and psychological burden are related to affect independently from gender but are not necessarily good predictors of the evolution of one’s affect during the gender-affirming process. Further research is necessary to investigate these preliminary results.

Evaluation of the Impact of Short Duration Music Listening on Autonomic State (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garry Elvin ◽  
Paras Patel ◽  
Petia Sice ◽  
Chirine Riachy ◽  
Nigel Osborne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Autonomic Nervous System ◽  
Short Duration ◽  
System Response ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Music Listening ◽  
Autonomic Nervous ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Change In Mean

BACKGROUND Heart rate variability (HRV), or the variation in the time interval between consecutive heartbeats, is a proven measure for assessing changes in autonomic activity. An increase in variability suggests an upregulation of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). Music was shown to have an effect on the limbic system, respiratory rate, and blood pressure. However, there have been relatively few empirical investigations on the effect of music on HRV compared to mean heart rate (HR). Also, the majority of studies have been experimental rather than interventional, reporting significant changes in HRV as a function of musical characteristics, such as tempo, genre, and valence. OBJECTIVE The aim of this pilot study is to evaluate the impact of short duration music listening on the autonomic nervous system response of healthy adults. METHODS Six participants (three males and three females) were tested to investigate the effect of listening to music on HR and HRV. Electrocardiographic (ECG) data was recorded at a sampling rate of 1000 Hz using an eMotion Faros 360 device produced by Bittium Biosignals. The data was collected while the participants listened to four pre-selected songs in a random order separated by a relaxation period of 5 minutes. Data was then cleaned and processed through Kubious HRV 2.0 software. Statistical analysis using Wilcoxon signed rank test was carried out for the time and frequency domains. RESULTS For all but one song that is shorter than 3 minutes (song 1), we observed a statistically significant increase in Standard Deviation of the RR intervals (SDRR) (song 1: P=.125, r=.333; song 2: P=.023, r=.575; song 3: P=.014, r=.635; song 4: P=.014, r=.635) and in the Low Frequency (LF) component of the cardiac spectrogram (song 1: P=.300, r=.151; song 2: P=.038, r=.514; song 3: P=.014, r=.635; song 4: P=.014, r=.635) with a large effect size r, indicating increased HRV. No significant change in mean HR was observed (song 1: P=.173 r=-.272; song 2: P=.058, r=-.454; song 3: P=.125, r=-.333; song 4: P=.232. r=-.212). CONCLUSIONS Listening to pre-selected songs of longer duration than 3 minutes 30 seconds is associated with significant increases in HRV measures, especially SDRR and LF. Music thus has the potential to overcome autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysregulation and thereby benefit health and wellbeing.

scholarly journals I Get Knocked Down but I Get Up Again: The Effects of Listening to Music When Sad on Young Adults

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel L Larwood ◽  
Genevieve Dingle
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Research Finding ◽  
Emotional State ◽  
Music Listening ◽  
Random Assignment ◽  
Regulation Process ◽  
Baseline Levels ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Sad Music

*THIS PAPER HAS NOT YET BEEN PEER REVIEWED* Listening to music is a strategy many people use to regulate their emotions, especially sadness. However, there is disagreement about whether listening to music is a healthy way to regulate emotions, with some research finding that sad music worsens a sad state, especially for people high in rumination. To further explore the immediate consequences of music listening when sad 128 young adults (41% male, aged 18 to 25 years) were induced into a sad emotional state prior to random assignment to listening of either self-selected music, experimenter-selected sad music, or no music. Results revealed that listening to either self-selectedor experimenter-selected music led to a decrease in sadness. No difference was found between groups at post-listening. However, participants who listened to self-selected music reported a return to baseline levels of sadness, while this did not occur for participants who listened to experimenter-selected or were in the no music control. Rumination was also measured but did not moderate the impact of music listening on sadness for either musiccondition. Furthermore, there was no impact of rumination on participants’ perceptions of sadness in music. These results support the notion that listening to sad music does not worsen a sad state—even for those high in rumination—although it does appear to slow the emotion regulation process in cases where sad music is not self-selected.

scholarly journals The impact of music on health-related quality of life, as quantified by the SF-36: A systematic review and meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Matt McCrary ◽  
Eckart Altenmuller ◽  
Clara Kretschmer ◽  
Daniel S. Scholz
Keyword(s):  
Standard Treatment ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Music Listening ◽  
Health Related Quality ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Sf 36 ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related ◽  
The Impact

Background/Objectives: Increasing evidence supports the ability of music to broadly promote wellbeing and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). However, the magnitude of music effects on HRQOL is still unclear, particularly relative to established interventions, limiting inclusion of music interventions in health policy and care. The SF-36 is the most widely used instrument to evaluate HRQOL, with broad validity in evaluating the effects of a range of interventions. This study aims to synthesize and contextualize the impact of music interventions on HRQOL, as assessed by the SF-36. Methods: MEDLINE; EMBASE; Web of Science; PsycINFO, clinicaltrials.gov, and ICTRP databases were searched on 30 July 2021. Randomized and single-group studies of music interventions which reported SF-36 data at pre- and post-intervention timepoints were included. Observational studies were excluded. The quality and certainty of evidence provided by included articles and meta-analysis results was appraised using GRADE. Inverse variance random effects meta-analyses quantified changes in SF-36 mental and physical component summary scores (respectively, MCS and PCS) pre- to post-intervention and vs. common control groups. Results: Analyses included 764 participants from 25 studies. Music interventions (music listening, 10 studies; music therapy, 7 studies; singing, 7 studies; gospel music, 1 study) significantly improved MCS (Mean difference (MD) [95% confidence interval]=3.0 [1.4, 4.6]; p<.001) and PCS (MD=1.0 [0.1, 2.0; p<.04) scores. In a subgroup (8 studies; music group, N=254; control, N=257) addition of music to standard treatment for a range of conditions significantly improved MCS scores vs. standard treatment alone (MD=3.7 [0.4, 7.1; p<.03). Effects did not vary between music listening, therapy and singing intervention types or doses (p>.12); no evidence of small study or publication biases was present in any analysis (p>.31). Music impact on MCS scores meets SF-36 minimum important difference thresholds (MD>/=3) and is within the range of established interventions. Conclusions: This study provides Moderate quality evidence that music interventions can generally be used to provide clinically meaningful improvements in HRQOL. Further study is needed to determine optimal music interventions and doses for distinct clinical and public health scenarios. Funding: Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Registration: PROSPERO (ID: CRD42021276204)

scholarly journals The Efficacy of Music for Emotional Wellbeing During the COVID-19 Lockdown in Spain: An Analysis of Personal and Context-Related Variables

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pastora Martínez-Castilla ◽  
Isabel M. Gutiérrez-Blasco ◽  
Daniel H. Spitz ◽  
Roni Granot
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Musical Training ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Music Listening ◽  
Emotional Wellbeing ◽  
Perceived Efficacy ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Personal Variables ◽  
The People ◽  
The Impact

The strict lockdown experienced in Spain during March–June 2020 as a consequence of the COVID-19 crisis has led to strong negative emotions. Music can contribute to enhancing wellbeing, but the extent of this effect may be modulated by both personal and context-related variables. This study aimed to analyze the impact of the two types of variables on the perceived efficacy of musical behaviors to fulfill adults’ emotional wellbeing-related goals during the lockdown established in Spain. Personal variables included age, gender, musical training, personality, resilience, and perception of music’s importance. Contextual variables referred to living in a region with a high COVID-19 impact, perception of belonging to a risk group, being alone, having caring responsibilities during confinement, and amount of time of music listening as compared to prior to the crisis. The study was conducted retrospectively during August–December 2020, when the strict lockdown was over in Spain. An online survey was disseminated among the general population and groups of musicians, and the answers of 507 adults (from 18 years on, 73.9% females, 51.3% musically trained adults) were analyzed. Only personal, but not COVID-19 context-related variables, showed an impact on music’s efficacy. The youngest age group of adults and those with musical training reported the highest efficacy of music for wellbeing enhancement, and music’s importance was found to be the main significant predictor of music’s perceived efficacy. Our findings suggest that the people who have been reported to be emotionally more vulnerable during the lockdown, due to either a strong impact on their daily lives or their lower resilience, perceive a higher benefit from musical behaviors. Being musically trained, even for a small number of years, also leads to a perception of higher efficacy of music for the achievement of emotional wellbeing goals. However, this effect is explained by the musically trained individuals’ higher perception of music’s importance. Although musical behaviors can be generally considered as important for wellbeing enhancement, our study highlights who are the potential individuals who could benefit the most from music-related activities for obtaining better levels of wellbeing, at least within the current context of the COVID-19 crisis.

Kinematic Characteristics of Head Trajectory during Horizontal Head Movements in Monkeys

1992 ◽  
pp. 510-515
Author(s):  
Bertrand Le Goff ◽  
Pierre Madic ◽  
Philippe Liverneaux ◽  
Francis L. Lestienne
Keyword(s):  
Head Movements ◽  
Kinematic Characteristics ◽  
Horizontal Head

Milton

Kinesic Humor ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 25-50
Author(s):  
Guillemette Bolens
Keyword(s):  
Free Will ◽  
Embodied Cognition ◽  
John Milton ◽  
Paradise Lost ◽  
Dynamic Gestures ◽  
The Impact

John Milton plays with his readers’ embodied cognition. Reading Paradise Lost triggers complex perceptual simulations that are fascinatingly conflicting at the level of sensorimotricity. The carefully crafted effects thus elicited lead to a possible experience of humor. Kinesic incongruities in Paradise Lost are studied in this chapter to show how critics and expert readers respond to them, and to suggest that such effects are correlated with Milton’s investment in the notion of free will. The fact that Milton was able to create suspense in a plot known by all is addressed in relation to surprisingly dynamic gestures and the impact they may have on the ways in which readers conceive of the Fall of humankind.

scholarly journals Voice-awareness control for a humanoid robot consistent with its body posture and movements

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Takuma Otsuka ◽  
Kazuhiro Nakadai ◽  
Toru Takahashi ◽  
Kazunori Komatani ◽  
Tetsuya Ogata ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Change ◽  
Voice Quality ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Body Motion ◽  
Spectral Envelope ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Head Motion ◽  
Axis Rotation ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Horizontal Head

AbstractThis paper presents voice-awareness control consistent with robot’s head movements. For a natural spoken communication between robots and humans, robots must behave and speak the way humans expect them to. The consistency between the robot’s voice quality and its body motion is one of the most especially striking factors in naturalness of robot speech. Our control is based on a new model of spectral envelope modification for vertical head motion, and left-right balance modulation for horizontal head motion. We assume that a pitch-axis rotation, or a vertical head motion, and a yaw-axis rotation, or a horizontal head motion, effect the voice quality independently. The spectral envelope modification model is constructed based on the analysis of human vocalizations. The left-right balance model is established by measuring impulse responses using a pair of microphones. Experimental results show that the voice-awareness is perceivable in a robot-to-robot dialogue when the robots stand up to 150 cm away. The dynamic change in the voice quality is also confirmed in the experiment.

scholarly journals A Grounded Theory of Young Tennis Players’ Use of Music to Manipulate Emotional State

2007 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 584-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel T. Bishop ◽  
Costas I. Karageorghis ◽  
Georgios Loizou
Keyword(s):  
Emotional State ◽  
Elite Athletes ◽  
Auditory Imagery ◽  
Music Listening ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Anecdotal Evidence ◽  
Tennis Players ◽  
Diary Data ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
The Impact

The main objectives of this study were (a) to elucidate young tennis players’ use of music to manipulate emotional states, and (b) to present a model grounded in present data to illustrate this phenomenon and to stimulate further research. Anecdotal evidence suggests that music listening is used regularly by elite athletes as a preperformance strategy, but only limited empirical evidence corroborates such use. Young tennis players (N = 14) were selected purposively for interview and diary data collection. Results indicated that participants consciously selected music to elicit various emotional states; frequently reported consequences of music listening included improved mood, increased arousal, and visual and auditory imagery. The choice of music tracks and the impact of music listening were mediated by a number of factors, including extramusical associations, inspirational lyrics, music properties, and desired emotional state. Implications for the future investigation of preperformance music are discussed.

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