Abstract
This chapter reviews multiple studies that indicate the physiological effects of listening to sad music on the brain and body. The fact that music does evoke a response even at a physiological level tends to resolve many of the philosophical arguments about whether real emotions are experienced in response to sad music. Garrido further argues that this evidence also suggests that music serves important biological functions which may further help to explain why we are attracted to sad music.
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- 1.
Psychoacoustic dissonance is sounds that are perceived as having an acoustic ‘roughness’ or a buzzing as a result of the physical properties of the inner ear. Cultural dissonance on the other hand, is based on aesthetic preferences that are developed through exposure to conventional musical harmonies of a particular culture.
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Garrido, S. (2017). Physiological Effects of Sad Music. In: Why Are We Attracted to Sad Music?. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39666-8_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39666-8_4
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