Being moved by listening to unfamiliar sad music induces reward‐related hormonal changes in empathic listeners

6533b86dfe1ef96bd12caaa8

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Being moved by listening to unfamiliar sad music induces reward‐related hormonal changes in empathic listeners

Vesa Putkinen Henna-riikka Peltola Jonna K. Vuoskoski Jonna K. Vuoskoski Katharina Schäfer Tuomas Eerola Hannu Kautiainen

subject

Male Pleasure melankolia SALIVARY CORTISOL STRESS Emotions Key (music)Developmental psychology DOPAMINE 0302 clinical medicine hydrokortisoni Social rejection media_common General Neuroscience mieliala 05 social sciences suru being moved humanities Sadness RECEPTOR GENE RELAXING MUSIC oksitosiini Female Psychology sadness psychological phenomena and processes prolactin OXYTOCIN RELEASE 515 Psychology media_common.quotation_subject musiikki Empathy cortisol behavioral disciplines and activities 050105 experimental psychology General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology kuunteleminen Pleasure 03 medical and health sciences SOCIAL REJECTION Reward History and Philosophy of Science tunteet Low arousal theory Sadness oxytocin Humans 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences Active listening music Hormones hormonit 6131 Theatre dance music other performing arts Mood 3111 Biomedicine Empathy Biomarkers Music 030217 neurology & neurosurgery RESPONSES

description

Many people enjoy sad music, and the appeal for tragedy is widespread among the consumers of film and literature. The underlying mechanisms of such aesthetic experiences are not well understood. We tested whether pleasure induced by sad, unfamiliar instrumental music is explained with a homeostatic or a reward theory, each of which is associated with opposite patterns of changes in the key hormones. Sixty-two women listened to sad music (or nothing) while serum was collected for subsequent measurement of prolactin (PRL) and oxytocin (OT) and stress marker (cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone) concentrations. Two groups of participants were recruited on the basis of low and high trait empathy. In the high empathy group, PRL and OT levels were significantly lower with music compared with no music. And compared to the low empathy group, the high empathy individuals reported an increase of positive mood and higher ratings of being moved with music. None of the stress markers showed any changes across the conditions or the groups. These hormonal changes, inconsistent with the homeostatic theory proposed by Huron, exhibit a pattern expected of general reward. Our findings illuminate how unfamiliar and low arousal music may give rise to pleasurable experiences. Peer reviewed

year	journal	country	edition	language
2021-01-01

http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202107204363