Reinoso-Carvalho and associates link music heard to experiencing specific sorts of tastes. The team found that “chocolate was liked more, rated as sweeter, and the purchase intent was higher, when tasted while listening to music that conveyed positive, as compared to negative, emotion. By contrast, the same chocolate was mostly rated as tasting more bitter with the negative music, as compared to the positive music. . .. .
Hou and colleagues studied brain synchronization between musicians and people listening to their music; potential applications of their findings in other contexts are intriguing. The researchers report that they “used dual near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to assess whether inter-brain synchronization between violinist and audience underlies the popularity of violin performance. In the experiment, individual audience members . . . watched pre-recorded videos, each lasting 100 s or so, in which a violinist performed 12 musical pieces.
Creating a "pleasanter" impression
The neuropsychology of viewing visual art and listening to music have been extensively studied and what researchers have learned can be applied to both enrich mental and physical wellbeing (via effects on neuro-processes tied to mood, cognitive performance, etc.) and to support financial arguments for adding art to workplaces, healthcare facilities, and many other locations.
Researchers have identified cross-cultural consistencies in responses to particular sounds and published their findings in Nature Human Behaviour. A team affiliated with Harvard’s Music Lab reports that “American infants relaxed when played lullabies that were unfamiliar and in a foreign language. . . . Infants responded to universal elements of songs, despite the unfamiliarity of their melodies and words, and relaxed. . . . In the experiment, each infant watched an animated video of two characters singing either a lullaby or a non-lullaby. . . .
Boosting performance with playlists
Chew, Lambiase, and colleagues studied physiological and emotional variations from one person to another in responses to music heard.
Beier and colleagues researched how culture influences responses to music.
Research by Cowen, Keltner, Fang, and Sauter indicates that there are 13 consistent emotional responses to music; future research, indicating if these findings can be generalized to experiences beyond hearing music, will be useful.
Patania and colleagues the experiences of people exercising while listening to music with different tempos.
