Chapter 12 - Emotion and Music

Summary

This chapter outlines several mechanisms underlying the evocation of emotions by music. The amygdala and related limbic structures play a critical role for emotions that some assume to have survival value for the individual and for the species. The chapter mentions studies that provide evidence that music can evoke activity changes in these brain structures, suggesting that at least some music-evoked emotions involve the very core of evolutionarily adaptive neuroaffective mechanisms. This evidence supports the view that music can evoke "real emotions", a view that is further supported in the chapter, which reviews studies investigating neural correlates of music-evoked pleasure. An important mechanism capable of evoking emotional responses is musical expectancy. The chapter also touches upon electrophysiological studies on music and emotion, and major and minor music to investigate "happiness and sadness". Emotional activity of the hippocampus is related to attachment-related emotions and to feelings of joy, love, and happiness.