Personalising music for more effective mood induction: Exploring activation, underlying mechanisms, emotional intelligence, and motives in mood regulation

Abstract

The present studies investigated the effects of personal (i.e., self-selected) music and music pre-selected by the researcher on the induction of sadness and joy while taking into consideration the influences of perceptual and individual factors in line with a reciprocal-feedback model (RFM). Regarding music perception, spreading activation in the cognitive network triggered by music and the BRECVEMA (Brain stem reflexes, Rhythmic entrainment, Evaluative conditioning, Contagion, Visual imagery, Episodic memory, Musical expectancy, Aesthetic judgement) mechanisms underlying musical emotions were explored using quantitative and qualitative self-reports. For individual factors, trait and ability emotional intelligence and motives in mood regulation were controlled. Results from the pilot study (Study 1, N = 66) confirm that music chosen by participants exerts stronger effects on reported mood, and that sadness and joy are evoked primarily by contagion and episodic memory associated with music. Study 2 ( N = 149) replicated and extended these findings. Reports of a conscious marker for spreading cognitive activation (e.g., familiarity or engagement with the music) was higher when listening to personal music, yet also when inducing joy. When sadness was induced, higher activation was also related to participants’ more frequent reports of BRECVEMA mechanisms. For emotional intelligence, clarity of emotions promotes joy while management of emotions promotes sadness. Emotion recognition impairs induction of both moods. Motives of discharge, mental work, and solace influence inductions of sadness, and diversion influences inductions of joy. Finally, the RFM provides a comprehensive conceptualisation of mood induction, integrating situation, music, and listener.

Measuring emotional music experience: Spreading activation and BRECVEMA mechanisms

“…All three exhibited moderate to strong associations with each other and were more prevalent in self- compared to pre-selected music. This finding confirmed theoretical assumptions (Schubert et al, 2014) and previous results (Völker, 2019). In fact, self-selection was more impactful than hypothesized, given that in Study 2, where all music was chosen by participants, there were no differences in spreading activation between congruent or incongruent music to regulate sadness or relaxing music in a neutral mood.…”

“…To assess spreading activation, the previously utilized five items (Völker, 2019) were expanded to five three-item subscales. Familiarity aimed at capturing feelings of recognition and knowledge concerning the type of music.…”

“…Items for the BRECVEMA questionnaire were predominantly derived using the qualitative depictions provided by participants in earlier studies (Völker, 2019), which were thematically analyzed to reflect the theoretical descriptions provided by Juslin (2013). There is a certain risk in employing phenomenological approaches to processes which are implicit.…”

“…The pre-selected sad piece was Tomaso Albinoni’s Adagio (Giazotto, 1958), and the pre-selected joyful piece was Two Steps from Hell’s Miracles (Bergersen, 2014). Both tracks are classical/symphonic music that have been used in previous mood induction studies (Västfjäll, 2002; Völker, 2019). Cognitive styles were assessed with a German translation of the Music Empathizing–Music Systemizing questionnaire (ME-MS; Kreutz et al, 2008), measuring each style with nine items (empathizing: α = .73, systemizing: α = .76).…”

“…Hence, there is evidence about such factors available to listeners’ consciousness that potentially mark spreading activation, but their systematic investigation in the spreading activation theory framework is scarce. With this in mind, Völker (2019) assessed perceptions adhering to spreading activation in response to music by asking listeners to rate the song’s typicality for their listening habits, feelings of familiarity, liking , subjective exposure , and momentary engagement . This scale exhibited good reliability (α = .86) and was associated with self-selected (compared to music pre-selected by the experimenter) and joyful (compared to sad) music.…”