Sing your way to my heart

by Dianne Cuyugan

Do you wonder why some music can make us happy or sad while others just can’t make us feel anything?

It is funny how our emotions are influenced by music. Listeners tend to associate faster tempo and major mode of music with happiness and slower tempo and minor mode of music with sadness (Hunter, Schellenberg, & Schimmack, 2008). This is why party music is always upbeat while music when someone has just died is always slow. This applies especially to music without lyrics. I just remembered when we were playing a skit about El Filibusterismo for PI (Philippine Institution) 100 using Maalaala Mo Kaya theme. We had to think of an instrumental music for all the sad and painful scenes. Then, I played “Kiss The Rain” by Yiruma. All of a sudden, all my group mates wore sad facial expressions and said that the song was indeed very sad. Surely, the song was very effective and we end up using it for the skit. This also can explain why many Filipino “fan girls” fall in love with Asian (Korean or Japanese) pop music. They can detect and perceive the emotions the music expresses even though they cannot understand the lyrics. And because of this, I’m happy to be one! Haha this is the reason on why I’m not ashamed of being one. Music transcends language!

Music per se cannot affect or induce any emotions and feelings on us if we do not put our attention on them and perceive them. Thus, our own perception plays a big role on how music induces emotions on us. Hunter, Schellenberg, & Schimmack (2010) found out that listeners’ emotional responses are highly correlated with their perceptions of the emotions conveyed by the music. But then, listeners’ perceptions are higher in ratings than their emotions induced. Also, listeners’ perceptions mediate their emotional responses. This tells us that once the listener has identified and recognized the emotion expressed by the music, the emotion is induced as he/she perceived it to be. As an illustration, a listener tunes in to a fast and upbeat music, and as he/she associates it to the feeling of being elated, energetic and happy, he/she will also feel elated, energetic and happy although not in the same degree as how he/she perceives it to be.

Other factors also play a big role on our perception process. Mood for example, can block our perception on the emotion expressed by the music and alter our emotional response. Try listening to “Jai Ho” by Pussycat Dolls on a bad-trip day. However, mood can also heighten your perception and emotional response. Try listening to “The way you look tonight” by Frank Sinatra when you had just been complimented by your crush or boyfriend that you are beautiful. Get what I mean? C’mon try it!

Sources:

Hunter, P., Schellenberg, E., & Schimmack, U. (2010). Feelings and perceptions of happiness and sadness induced by music: Similarities, differences, and mixed emotions. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 4(1), 47-56. doi:10.1037/a0016873

Hunter, P. G., Schellenberg, E. G., & Schimmack, U. (2008). Mixed

affective responses to music with conflicting cues. Cognition and Emotion,

22, 327–352.