Psychophysiological Correlates of Emotion During Music Perception

Emotional experiences during music listening are supported by dynamic interactions between perceptual, cognitive, and physiological processes, yet the extent to which bodily responses reflect or predict music-induced emotions remains an open question. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between music listening enjoyment and a variety of physiological responses, testing whether any subset of these measures can be used to predict music-induced emotions. We presented each participant with obscure instrumental music excerpts, recorded several physiological responses during music listening, and asked them to subjectively rate their experienced valence (positive to negative affect) and arousal (high to low energy). Using structural equation modeling, we found that high-frequency heart rate variability (HF HRV), skin conductance levels (SCL), and respiration rate had small yet significant correlations with arousal, while HF HRV and the range of skin conductance responses (SCR) were correlated with valence. These findings indicate that physiological responses like SCR and respiration rate could potentially serve as an objective measure of music-induced emotions. Future researchers could expand upon these findings by investigating the influence of internal state and by exploring other physiological measures such as electroencephalography (EEG).