Why is Sad Music Pleasurable? A Possible Role for Prolactin

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 146-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Huron
Keyword(s):  
Positive Affect ◽  
Psychological Effect ◽  
Acoustic Features ◽  
Cognitive Rumination ◽  
Hedonic Theory ◽  
Homeostatic Function ◽  
Sad Music

A hedonic theory of music and sadness is proposed. Some listeners report that nominally sad music genuinely makes them feel sad. It is suggested that, for these listeners, sad affect is evoked through a combination of empathetic responses to sad acoustic features, learned associations, and cognitive rumination. Among those listeners who report sad feelings, some report an accompanying positive affect, whereas others report the experience to be solely negative. Levels of the hormone prolactin increase when sad – producing a consoling psychological effect suggestive of a homeostatic function. It is proposed that variations in prolactin levels might account for the variability in individual hedonic responses. Specifically, it is conjectured that high prolactin concentrations are associated with pleasurable music-induced sadness, whereas low prolactin concentrations are associated with unpleasant music-induced sadness.

Why is sad music pleasurable? A possible role for prolactin

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 146-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Huron
Keyword(s):  
Positive Affect ◽  
Psychological Effect ◽  
Acoustic Features ◽  
Cognitive Rumination ◽  
Hedonic Theory ◽  
Homeostatic Function ◽  
Sad Music

A hedonic theory of music and sadness is proposed. Some listeners report that nominally sad music genuinely makes them feel sad. It is suggested that, for these listeners, sad affect is evoked through a combination of empathetic responses to sad acoustic features, learned associations, and cognitive rumination. Among those listeners who report sad feelings, some report an accompanying positive affect, whereas others report the experience to be solely negative. Levels of the hormone prolactin increase when sad – producing a consoling psychological effect suggestive of a homeostatic function. It is proposed that variations in prolactin levels might account for the variability in individual hedonic responses. Specifically, it is conjectured that high prolactin concentrations are associated with pleasurable music-induced sadness, whereas low prolactin concentrations are associated with unpleasant music-induced sadness.

scholarly journals Hooked on a Feeling: Influence of Brief Exposure to Familiar Music on Feelings of Emotion in Individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 1019-1031
Author(s):  
Alaine E. Reschke-Hernández ◽  
Amy M. Belfi ◽  
Edmarie Guzmán-Vélez ◽  
Daniel Tranel
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Emotional State ◽  
Declarative Memory ◽  
Music Listening ◽  
Therapeutic Tool ◽  
Impaired Memory ◽  
Post Induction ◽  
Sad Music

Background: Research has indicated that individuals with Alzheimer’s-type dementia (AD) can experience prolonged emotions, even when they cannot recall the eliciting event. Less is known about whether music can modify the emotional state of individuals with AD and whether emotions evoked by music linger in the absence of a declarative memory for the eliciting event. Objective: We examined the effects of participant-selected recorded music on self-reported feelings of emotion in individuals with AD, and whether these feelings persisted irrespective of declarative memory for the emotion-inducing stimuli. Methods: Twenty participants with AD and 19 healthy comparisons (HCs) listened to two 4.5-minute blocks of self-selected music that aimed to induce either sadness or happiness. Participants reported their feelings at baseline and three times post-induction and completed recall and recognition tests for the music selections after each induction. Results: Participants with AD had impaired memory for music selections compared to HCs. Both groups reported elevated sadness and negative affect after listening to sad music and increased happiness and positive affect after listening to happy music, relative to baseline. Sad/negative and happy/positive emotions endured up to 20 minutes post-induction. Conclusion: Brief exposure to music can induce strong and lingering emotions in individuals with AD. These findings extend the intriguing phenomenon whereby lasting emotions can be prompted by stimuli that are not remembered declaratively. Our results underscore the utility of familiar music for inducing emotions in individuals with AD and may ultimately inform strategies for using music listening as a therapeutic tool with this population.

scholarly journals The effects of music induction on mood and affect in an Asian context

2020 ◽  
pp. 030573562092857
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Ann Campbell ◽  
Elizaveta Berezina ◽  
C M Hew D Gill
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Mood Induction ◽  
Energy Levels ◽  
Circumplex Model ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Subject Factor ◽  
Asian Context ◽  
Mood Scale ◽  
Sad Music

A sample of Asian participants was assessed using the Brunel Mood Scale and the Positive & Negative Affect Scale before and after music mood induction procedures to which each participant was randomly assigned. A series of mixed analyses of variance with the type of music (happy/positive vs. sad/negative) as the between-subject factor and pre–post music exposure as the within-subject factor revealed that the sad music induction attenuated the positive moods Vigor and Happiness, as well as the negative moods Anger, Tension, Fatigue, and Confusion but had no significant impact on Depression or Calmness, casting doubt on the robustness of Thayer’s circumplex model of mood formation. The happy music induction increased Vigor and decreased Fatigue and Confusion, suggesting that positive music has the potential to lift energy levels. The happy music induction led to increases in Positive Affect only, whereas the sad music condition attenuated both Positive Affect and Negative affect, casting doubt on Watson and Tellegen’s contention that the Affect systems are independent and suggesting that the bipolarity hypothesis may not provide a comprehensive explanation of mood formation. The mechanisms by which music may impact mood and potential differences in the expression of affect between Asian and Western participants are discussed.

Idiographic Dynamics of Positive Affect in GAD

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 500-509
Author(s):  
Hannah G. Bosley ◽  
Devon B. Sandel ◽  
Aaron J. Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Positive Affect ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Alternative Hypothesis ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
Aggregated Data ◽  
Regulatory Strategy ◽  
Constant State ◽  
Automatic Search ◽  
Time Lagged ◽  
Exploratory Procedure

Abstract. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is associated with worry and emotion regulation difficulties. The contrast-avoidance model suggests that individuals with GAD use worry to regulate emotion: by worrying, they maintain a constant state of negative affect (NA), avoiding a feared sudden shift into NA. We tested an extension of this model to positive affect (PA). During a week-long ecological momentary assessment (EMA) period, 96 undergraduates with a GAD analog provided four daily measurements of worry, dampening (i.e., PA suppression), and PA. We hypothesized a time-lagged mediation relationship in which higher worry predicts later dampening, and dampening predicts subsequently lower PA. A lag-2 structural equation model was fit to the group-aggregated data and to each individual time-series to test this hypothesis. Although worry and PA were negatively correlated in 87 participants, our model was not supported at the nomothetic level. However, idiographically, our model was well-fit for about a third (38.5%) of participants. We then used automatic search as an idiographic exploratory procedure to detect other time-lagged relationships between these constructs. While 46 individuals exhibited some cross-lagged relationships, no clear pattern emerged across participants. An alternative hypothesis about the speed of the relationship between variables is discussed using contemporaneous correlations of worry, dampening, and PA. Findings suggest heterogeneity in the function of worry as a regulatory strategy, and the importance of temporal scale for detection of time-lagged effects.

Dispositional Properties of Metaphor

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 175-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam K. Fetterman ◽  
Brian P. Meier ◽  
Michael D. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Positive Affect ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Taste Preferences ◽  
Conceptual Metaphor Theory ◽  
Prosocial Motivation ◽  
Sweet Food ◽  
Metaphor Theory ◽  
Sweet Foods ◽  
Dispositional Properties

Abstract. Metaphors often characterize prosocial actions and people as sweet. Three studies sought to explore whether conceptual metaphors of this type can provide insights into the prosocial trait of agreeableness and into daily life prosociality. Study 1 (n = 698) examined relationships between agreeableness and food taste preferences. Studies 2 (n = 66) and 3 (n = 132) utilized daily diary protocols. In Study 1, more agreeable people liked sweet foods to a greater extent. In Study 2, greater sweet food preferences predicted a stronger positive relationship between daily prosocial behaviors and positive affect, a pattern consistent with prosocial motivation. Finally, Study 3 found that daily prosocial feelings and behaviors varied positively with sweet food consumption in a manner that could not be ascribed to positive affect or self-control. Altogether, the findings encourage further efforts to extend conceptual metaphor theory to the domain of personality processes, in part by building on balance-related ideas.

Social and Temporal Comparisons as Moderators of Psychological Resources Associations With Wellbeing

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 96-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hasida Ben-Zur
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Subjective Wellbeing ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Psychological Resources ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Age Range ◽  
General Wellbeing

Abstract. The current study investigated the associations of psychological resources, social comparisons, and temporal comparisons with general wellbeing. The sample included 142 community participants (47.9% men; age range 23–83 years), who compared themselves with others, and with their younger selves, on eight dimensions (e.g., physical health, resilience). They also completed questionnaires assessing psychological resources of mastery and self-esteem, and three components of subjective wellbeing: life satisfaction and negative and positive affect. The main results showed that high levels of psychological resources contributed to wellbeing, with self-enhancing social and temporal comparisons moderating the effects of resources on certain wellbeing components. Specifically, under low levels of mastery or self-esteem self-enhancing social or temporal comparisons were related to either higher life satisfaction or positive affect. The results highlight the role of resources and comparisons in promoting people’s wellbeing, and suggest that self-enhancing comparisons function as cognitive coping mechanisms when psychological resources are low.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document