Daikoku, Tanaka, and Yamawaki evaluated how we, literally, feel music. They found when they played sequences of four chords to participants that “sensations in the heart were strongly linked to aesthetic appreciation and feelings of pleasure. . . . the strongest abdominal sensations were recorded when all four chords progressed with low surprise and low uncertainty. . . . This very predictable tune also brought out feelings of calmness, relief, satisfaction, nostalgia and empathy. . . . . The strongest sensations in the heart were felt when the first three chords played with low surprise and low uncertainty, but the final fourth chord elicited high surprise and low uncertainty. . . . the stronger sensations it produced in the heart appeared to be closely linked to stronger feelings of pleasure. . . . sequences which generated strong sensations in the head were significantly associated with feelings of anxiety and confusion.”
Tatsuya Daikoku, Masaki Tanaka, Shigeto Yamawaki. "Bodily Maps of Uncertainty and Surprise in Musical Chord Progression and the Underlying Emotional Response," iScience: April 4, 2024, doi:10.1016/j.isci.2024.109498.