Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T15:14:25.503Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The evolutionary benefit of less-credible affective musical signals for emotion induction during storytelling

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 September 2021

Caitlyn Trevor Open the ORCID record for Caitlyn Trevor [Opens in a new window]  and
Sascha Frühholz
Caitlyn Trevor
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Binzmuehlestrasse 14, 8050Zurich, Switzerlandcaitlyn.trevor@psychologie.uzh.ch
Sascha Frühholz
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Binzmuehlestrasse 14, 8050Zurich, Switzerlandcaitlyn.trevor@psychologie.uzh.ch Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Blindern, 0317Oslo, Norwaysascha.fruehholz@uzh.chhttps://www.psychology.uzh.ch/en/areas/nec/kaneuro.html
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The credible signaling theory underexplains the evolutionary added value of less-credible affective musical signals compared to vocal signals. The theory might be extended to account for the motivation for, and consequences of, culturally decontextualizing a biologically contextualized signal. Musical signals are twofold, communicating “emotional fiction” alongside biological meaning, and could have filled an adaptive need for affect induction during storytelling.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 44 , 2021 , e118
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arnal, L. H., Flinker, A., Kleinschmidt, A., Giraud, A. L., & Poeppel, D. (2015). Human screams occupy a privileged niche in the communication soundscape. Current Biology, 25(15), 2051–2056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.06.043.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bown, J., & Gackenbach, J. (2016). Video games, nightmares, and emotional processing. In Tettegah, S. Y. & Huang, W. D. (Eds.), Emotions, technology, and digital games (pp. 3–14). Academic Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bryant, G. A. (2020). Evolution, structure, and functions of human laughter. In Floyd, K. & Weber, R. (Eds.), The handbook of communication science and biology (pp. 63–77). Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Engelberg, J. W. M., & Gouzoules, H. (2019). The credibility of acted screams: Implications for emotional communication research. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 72(8), 1889–1902. https://doi.org/10.1177/1747021818816307.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Frühholz, S, & Schweinberger, S. (2020). Nonverbal auditory communication – evidence for integrated neural systems for voice signal production and perception. Progress in Neurobiology, 199, 101948.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Frühholz, S., Trost, W., & Grandjean, D. (2014). The role of the medial temporal limbic system in processing emotions in voice and music. Progress in Neurobiology, 123, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pneurobio.2014.09.003.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Frühholz, S., Trost, W., & Kotz, S. A. (2016). The sound of emotions – towards a unifying neural network perspective of affective sound processing. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 68, 1–15. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.05.002.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Juslin, P. N., & Laukka, P. (2003). Communication of emotions in vocal expression and music performance: Different channels, same code?. Psychological Bulletin, 129(5), 770–814. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.129.5.770.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Li, P., & Yackle, K. (2017). Sighing. Current Biology, 27(3), R88–R89.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Monelle, R. (2000). The sense of music: Semiotic essays. Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Paquette, S., Takerkart, S., Saget, S., Peretz, I., & Belin, P. (2018). Cross-classification of musical and vocal emotions in the auditory cortex. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1423(1), 329–337. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.13666.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pellowski, A. (1990). The world of storytelling. H.W. Wilson.Google Scholar
Revonsuo, A. (2000). The reinterpretation of dreams: An evolutionary hypothesis of the function of dreaming. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 23(6), 877–901.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scherer, K. R. (1995). Expression of emotion in voice and music. Journal of Voice, 9(3), 235–248. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0892-1997(05)80231-0.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schwartz, J. W., Engelberg, J. W., & Gouzoules, H. (2019). What is a scream? Acoustic characteristics of a human call type. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 145(3), 1776–1776. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.5101500.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scrivner, C., Johnson, J. A., Kjeldgaard-Christiansen, J., & Clasen, M. (2020). Pandemic practice: Horror fans and morbidly curious individuals are more psychologically resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic. Personality and Individual Differences, 168, 110397.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, D., Schlaepfer, P., Major, K., Dyble, M., Page, A. E., Thompson, J., … Astete, L. (2017). Cooperation and the evolution of hunter-gatherer storytelling. Nature Communications, 8(1), 1–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stanovich, K. E., & West, R. F. (2000). Individual differences in reasoning: Implications for the rationality debate? Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 23(5), 645–665.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Teigen, K. H. (2008). Is a sigh “just a sigh”? Sighs as emotional signals and responses to a difficult task. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 49(1), 49–57.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Trevor, C., Arnal, L. H., & Frühholz, S. (2020). Terrifying film music mimics alarming acoustic feature of human screams. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 147(6), EL540–EL545. https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0001459.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Trevor, C., & Huron, D. (2018). Are humoresques humorous? On the similarity between laughter and staccato. Empirical Musicology Review, 13(1–2), 66. https://doi.org/10.18061/emr.v13i1-2.5608.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vassilakis, P. N., & Kendall, R. A. (2010). Psychoacoustic and cognitive aspects of auditory roughness: Definitions, models, and applications. Proceedings of Human Vision and Electronic Imaging XV, 7527, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.845457.Google Scholar
Walton, K. L. (1990). Mimesis as make-believe: On the foundations of the representational arts. Harvard University Press.Google Scholar