Abstract
In real life, listening to music may be associated with an eyes-closed or eyes-open state. The effect of eye state on listeners’ reaction to music has attracted some attention, but its influence on brain activity has not been fully investigated. The present study aimed to evaluate the electroencephalographic (EEG) markers for the emotional valence of music in different eye states. Thirty participants listened to musical excerpts with different emotional content in the eyes-closed and eyes-open states. The results showed that participants rated the music as more pleasant or with more positive valence under an eyes-open state. In addition, we found that the alpha asymmetry indices calculated on the parietal and temporal sites reflected emotion valence in the eyes-closed and eyes-open states, respectively. The theta power in the frontal area significantly increased while listening to emotional-positive music compared to emotional-negative music under the eyes-closed condition. These effects of eye states on EEG markers are discussed in terms of brain mechanisms underlying attention and emotion.
Highlights
In most human cultures, the use and function of music are closely related to its emotional impact on listeners
To determine whether the eye states would affect the evaluation of emotional valence under different emotional music conditions, a 2 × 2 repeated-measure designed two factor ANOVA was conducted
Previous EEG studies on music perception have demonstrated an association between brain activation patterns and music-induced emotions
Summary
The use and function of music are closely related to its emotional impact on listeners. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has provided the opportunity to observe neural correlates of different emotions evoked by music. Fear-inducing music has been found to increase activity in the amygdala (Lerner et al, 2009) and its functional connectivity with the visual cortex and the superior parietal lobule suggests that it may heighten visual alertness (Koelsch et al, 2013). These studies showed that different neural and cognitive mechanisms underlie the processing of positively-valenced music and negatively-valenced music. Earlier studies have reported that an EEG index, frontal alpha asymmetry, is related to emotions and approach/withdrawal motivational processes
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
