Responses to Music: A Function of Emotional State?
University
Shawnee State University
Major
Psychology
Student Type
Undergraduate Student
Presentation Types
Oral Presentation (Live)
Keywords:
music, mood, emotion, sadness, music preferences
Abstract
Are sad people drawn to sad songs? Music is a human universal. One interesting paradox is that, although people yearn to be happy, they willingly consume sad music. There is even reason to believe that people are more likely to listen to sad songs when their mood is already low. Our study explores if/when people enjoy, and prefer, sad music. Also, we test the impact of happy versus sad songs as a function of (induced) emotional state. Participants read stories designed to temporarily evoke a happy or sad state. Then participants are asked what music they would like to consume. Then they are randomly assigned a track (upbeat versus downbeat). Finally, they rate their enjoyment and feelings. We predict that people will respond more favorably to music that matches their mood.
Human and Animal Subjects
yes
IRB or IACUC Approval
yes
Faculty Mentor Name
Brian J Richards
Faculty Mentor Title
Full Professor
Faculty Mentor Department
Social Sciences
Recommended Citation
Robinson, Gabriel Mr. and Richards, Brian, "Responses to Music: A Function of Emotional State?" (2025). Celebration of Scholarship. 1.
https://digitalcommons.shawnee.edu/cos/2025/session6/1
Location
LIB 204
Responses to Music: A Function of Emotional State?
LIB 204
Are sad people drawn to sad songs? Music is a human universal. One interesting paradox is that, although people yearn to be happy, they willingly consume sad music. There is even reason to believe that people are more likely to listen to sad songs when their mood is already low. Our study explores if/when people enjoy, and prefer, sad music. Also, we test the impact of happy versus sad songs as a function of (induced) emotional state. Participants read stories designed to temporarily evoke a happy or sad state. Then participants are asked what music they would like to consume. Then they are randomly assigned a track (upbeat versus downbeat). Finally, they rate their enjoyment and feelings. We predict that people will respond more favorably to music that matches their mood.
