The Emotions and Behaviors Associated with Different Genres of Music

Group 1Group Members:

Robert HarrisBrian Hone

Daniel MarlingStacy Moss

Matt MumfordPerry O’MalleyAlexis RoarkPaul Weber

Class: EDP101A

Music has been a part of human nature throughout history. Early man, like us today,

used music to celebrate, mourn, for religion, and for ceremonies. There is something innate in

humans and music that allows us to like or dislike a type of music. Music has the capability to

bring a flood of emotions to a person. So what exactly causes people to feel these emotions?

Are there physiological changes that occur to create associations between music and emotions?

Daniel Levitin states that, “…the emotions we experience in response to music involve structures

deep in the…cerebellar vermis, and the amygdala – the heart of emotional processing in the

cortex” (Levitin, 2006, p.87). According to Davis and Palladino, the amygdale is “a small

almond shaped structure [which] receives sensory inputs and is essential in evaluating the

emotional meaning of stimuli” (Davis and Palladino, 270, p.260). Since music is an auditory

stimulus it enters our brain and the emotional meaning surrounding that stimulus is processed.

Our question is what emotions and behaviors are associated with different genres of music? The

emotions that are felt may vary from person to person but overall there are some types of music

that cause certain emotions. However, it is not as simple as stating that Rock music causes anger

or Pop music causes happiness. There are nuances to each style of music and they can each

cause a plethora of emotions in both the artist and the listener. In the following paper we have

dissected various genres of music to see what emotions and behaviors they cause.

Robert Harris: Reggae

Daniel Levitin describes in “This Is Your Brain on Music” how music can affect and

change a person’s life: “We allow musicians to control our emotions and even our politics; to lift

us up, to bring us down, to comfort us, to inspire us. We let them into our living rooms and

bedrooms when no one else is around. We let them into our ears, directly, through ear buds and

headphones, when we're not communicating with anybody else in the world.” This quote fits

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with the genre of reggae and how this music can change a person’s emotions, passions, and even

spirituality.

When you think of reggae music it is common for a warm island image to pop into your

mind. This may seem like a stereotype but a matter of fact most reggae started and continues to

thrive in the warm island of Jamaica. Along with the warm island imagery there is a feeling of

happiness and ecstasy that is aroused in the listener. Many reggae songs create joyful emotions

by creating an image of the beauty in the world, or by describing love. Even the basic sound of

reggae music creates positive because it is associated with beautiful warm islands. Jimmy Cliff

sings: “Talkin' 'bout the wonderful world / beautiful people” in his song Wonderful World. This

is an example of how lyrics describe the positive things in the world which creates a positive

emotion for the listener.

Although most reggae music may sound happy and joyful there is a lot of deep meaning

behind the songs. Reggae roots go back to the 1960’s during a poverty stricken Jamaica. The

poor standard of living during this time has currently influenced the reggae genre. Out side of

standard happy and relaxing songs much of reggae is about poverty, racisms, slavery, war,

history, violence, and civil rights. These ideas are introduced into music for the purpose of

educating the listener, and it works. These specific reggae songs create passive aggressive

emotions. One may feel angry and sympathetic at the same time. Bob Marley states: “That until

the basic human rights / Are equally guaranteed to all, / Without regard to race / Dis a war” in his

song War. It expresses his fight for equal rights for everyone. Lyrics like this make people

understand the problems in the world and at the same time the song creates an angry emotion. It

makes people want equality in the world.

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Reggae can bring out a feeling of spirituality in the listener. A large influence of the

reggae genre was religion. The religion that thieved in Jamaica during the reggae wave was the

Rastafarian belief. As a result there are many reggae songs that contain lyrics of spirituality.

While listing to reggae music one could very well have a feeling of his own spirituality. Bob

Marley states “One love, one heart / Let's get together and feel all right / Give thanks and praise

to the Lord and I will feel all right” in his famous song One Love. This shows how religion

affects reggae artists and ultimately the listener. In Bob Marley’s opinion if the listener gives

thanks and praise to the Lord everything will be alright. Curtin lyrics like this can arouse a lot of

spirituality in a person and ultimately a lot of emotion.

In conclusion, the Reggae genre arouses a lot of emotion in the listener. Reggae roots

have influenced artists such as Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley to write songs of love, happiness,

civil rights, freedom, and spirituality. So while listening to these songs there is expected to be

some emotions that transfer of from artist to listener.

Brian Hone: Classical

When discussing music and its effects on emotion and behavior, one must certainly

mention classical music. Emotion itself is very powerful, as is it is known to affect heart rate,

facial expression, and behavior in general (Davis and Palladino, 2007, p. 255). Not only does

much classical music have the power to be very expressive itself, thus evoking many different

types of emotion, but it often has distinct physical and emotional effects on the listener. But

perhaps the expressive nature of classical music is most interesting. To sit through an orchestral

performance is often not just a passive activity. The music dictates the emotion. As tempo,

dynamics, and tension increase, emotions of excitement, fear, and anticipation can often result.

But physical changes in the body are also noticeable. As this increase in tempo, dynamics, and

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tension occurs, ventilation, heart rate, and blood pressure can increase as well (Bailey-Lloyd,

2007). Contrastingly, as tempo, dynamics, and tension resolve, sometimes feelings of

tranquility, peace, and harmony result. Decreases in ventilation, heart rate, and blood pressure

are often noticed (Bailey-Lloyd, 2007).

Numerous studies have been conducted on this topic. “The Mozart Effect,” a study

examining classical music’s affect on factors such as intelligence, spatial-reasoning tasks, and

behavior, has gained worldwide attention in recent years. The study found that listening to

Mozart for a set amount of time each day could actually improve intelligence (Levitin, 2006, p.

225). Some improvements in cognitive skills were also noticed. Children who listened to this

classical music for a certain amount of time each day were also noticed to behave in a calmer and

more relaxed manner. Furthermore, classical music therapy has become increasingly popular.

This type of music therapy “uses music to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social

needs of individuals of all ages (American, 2004).” Often used as an alternative to medicine,

patients who undergo music therapy treatment often show increases in social and cognitive

development (American, 2004). Many patients also claim classical music therapy has a calming

effect and affects emotion and behavior, serving to reduce stress and promote tranquility.

However, one must not forget the effects classical music has on the musician himself or

herself; without the musician, there would be no music. Just like the listener or the audience,

musicians often experience emotional and physical changes while performing. As noted before,

ventilation, heart rate, and blood pressure can also affect the musician as he or she performs.

These musicians can go through periods of intense emotional experience as the intensity of the

music increases and vice-versa. One cannot doubt that many musicians are emotionally affected

when performing different pieces of classical music, as the musician’s emotions often mimic the

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emotions being portrayed within the music. To say that classical music does not often affect

emotion and behavior would simply be false.

Daniel Marling: METAL

Heavy Metal, more commonly known as just “metal”, was developed in the 1970s. Most

of what we know now as metal has long roots into rock music. This report is on the emotions

caused by the genre of metal. Now ordinarily this would be such a broad spectrum, obviously as

with every genre there are going to be enough different metal songs that nearly every emotion on

the human spectrum is covered. I’m not going to talk about every emotion, but rather, the most

common ones. The following examples I present will evoke the most common emotions and

stress the more dominant themes of metal.

Most people think of metal as a dark and sometimes violent form of music. If there was a

psychopath on the loose, he must have listened to heavy metal to become that violent. These

metal stereotypes have been going on for a while. A main problem is that “Its' controversial

lyrics and harsh sound have made it the target of much blame for psychological and behavioral

problems in teenagers. Heavy metal music has also been a source of perpetual worry for parents

whose children listen to the music. At the same time, the listeners and fans of heavy metal say

that the music helps them deal with their problems” (Coss). “Another similar finding is that

“Brown and Hendee (1989) have indicated that physicians should use music preference,

particularly heavy metal, as a clue to possible psychosocial problems in adolescent patients.”

(Scheel)

One thing you’ll notice about metal music is the tempo. There really isn’t a common slow

tempo. As an aggregate, metal has the fastest tempo created by stringed instruments. It will also

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stress certain notes emphatically. Also, the common use of distortion in metal means that songs

are usually played louder than rock in order for the listeners to discern the notes. Now that the

listener is listening to fast and loud music, their heart rate has quickly risen. This leads to my

next point of metal; aggressiveness.

Metal is an aggressive genre of music. It’s loud, forceful, vigorously energetic, and

boldly assertive. Many times the listener feels empowered by its forceful nature. On the theme of

aggressiveness, metal seems to be a much more popular genre among men than women, most

likely relating to the aggressiveness of males. Many male species are more aggressive than their

female counterparts, which also reinforces the dominance of males throughout history, and

explains the lopsided appreciation for metal.

The emotions of metal music are portrayed in the themes of each song, and the themes of

metal are usually dark.  They include themes about drugs, sex, and violence. Popularized themes

are often about teenage angst, romantic tragedy, or relentless distrust and anger. A person who

listens to wide variety of music might listen to metal in moments of anger, frustration, or

depression. The genre is not without happier songs, they are just less common.

At this point I’d like to introduce a few bands and a song by each. First I’d like to talk

about the band Black Sabbath and use one of their songs as an example to further illustrate my

point. First of all, Black Sabbath is one of the pioneers in the development of the metal genre.

Their lead singer, Ozzy Osbourne, is also known as “The Godfather of Heavy Metal” by many.

The song “War Pigs” reinforces some common themes from metal. Two of the verses are below.

“Politicians hide themselves away They only started the war 

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Why should they go out to fight? They leave that role to the poor 

 Time will tell on their power minds 

Making war just for fun Treating people just like pawns in chess 

Wait `till their judgment day comes, yeah!”

The song expresses the “common” man’s opinion in this instance, and expresses distrust

and some anger at the politicians. The message is cliché, but the music is brooding and

thoughtful. It feels like an empowering rally cry to the listener.

A song that has more angered and violent themes is “Vicarious” by the band Tool.

“Don't look at me like I am a monster 

Frown out your one face But with the other Stare like a junkie 

Into the TV Stare like a zombie While the mother Holds her child 

Watches him die Hands to the sky crying 

Why, oh why? 'cause I need to watch things die 

From a distance  

Vicariously I, live while the whole world dies You all need it too, don't lie”

The lyrics express disgust at the human species for being naturally cold. The music

evokes a sarcastic and bitter sensation. It consists of heavy guitar playing, with a low bass line,

yet the singing is rather low, almost a whisper, sometimes. It has a very fast pace and the song is

emphatic on its brief pauses, which more than likely are startling to the listener upon their first

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listen. While it doesn’t generate unnecessary hate or violence, it leaves the listener feeling

anxious and a little on edge.

Stacey Moss: Rock

Rock music has consistently evolved since its beginnings in the 1950s. For these reasons,

it is difficult to determine a precise definition of “rock” music. However, for research purposes,

a study conducted at Murray State University narrowed down rock music into “hard rock” and

“soft rock.” The definitions of these two types are as follows:

“Hard rock music is classified as a style of rock ‘n roll that contains a harsh, amplified

sound and loud electric guitars. Soft rock music is a form of rock ‘n roll that tends to

produce a softer, more pleasing sound. Pianos and synthesizers often accompany the

electric guitars, which are typically absent from hard rock.” (Hill, 2007).

Hard rock and soft rock are therefore the basis of further exploration. Which emotions are

associated with rock music? Are they positive or negative emotions? Through personal

experience, we see that our culture typically associates negative or aggressive emotions with

rock music. Even so, it is necessary to evaluate scientific research for direction on which

emotions are associated with rock music.

The Murray State University study was conducted using sixty participants and an

Emotional Assessment Scale. The participants simply ranked their mood while listening to soft

or hard rock music. Results of the study proved that negative emotions were associated with the

hard rock music, and positive emotions were associated with the soft rock music (Hill, 2007).

From this research, we can conclude that all rock music does not necessarily evoke negative

emotions such as sadness, anger, or depression.

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However, differences in hard and soft rock do no simply depend on a fast or slow beat.

Lyrics can play a large role in eliciting emotions as well. Listeners often look to lyrics to relate

to music and sometimes for advice. For example, people experiencing emotions of anger or

loneliness may like hearing lyrics that parallel their current situation.

Van Halen has been a long-time band in the hard rock genre. Looking at their lyrics, we

can see why some hard rock songs elicit negative emotions. In their song titled “Runnin’ with

the Devil,” the lyrics state, “…Found the simple life ain’t so simple; when I jumped out, on that

road; I got no love, no love you’d call real; ain’t got nobody, waitin’ at home” (Van Halen,

1978). These lyrics, representative of hard rock, would most likely be associated with feelings of

emotional pain, loneliness or distress. In an article written by Kelly Schwartz for the Journal of

Youth Ministry, she mentions that adolescents with a preference for hard/heavy rock can

associate with its themes of antisocial behavior and risk-taking (Schwartz, 2004). The same

article goes on to remark that hard music regulates emotions because it allows adolescents to

ensure they are not emotionally alone (Schwartz, 2004). Furthermore, the loud electric guitar

solos, strong beats, and fast tempo give rise to the same negative emotions.

The soft rock genre consists of artists such as the Eagles. Many of these songs have a

slower, light beat and they incorporate more soothing, soft sounds such as those produced by a

piano. These sounds create feelings of ease and comfort rather than loneliness. Looking at the

lyrics of “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” it is evident that the song evokes positive emotions. The lyrics

state, “…’cause I get a peaceful, easy feeling; and I know you won’t let me down; ‘cause I’m

already standing on the ground” (Eagles, 1972). This shows strong emotions of happiness,

content, and love. The lyrics produce a feeling of ease and connect with people feeling stability

and satisfaction in their lives.

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As evidenced by the research and lyrics above, rock music can have different affects on

people. Emotions associated with rock music can depend on both the lyrics and background

music. However, it is important to keep in mind that the two can mix. Lyrics of soft rock can

still contain “sad” lyrics, while hard rock lyrics can contain themes of love. It is further possible

that some people will feel happy listening to hard rock music, simply because that is their

favorite type of music. In general, though, research shows that the strong beat and loud music

typical of hard rock elicit negative emotions, while the opposite occurs for soft rock.

Matt Mumford: Jazz

Jazz music is a unique style of music that varies greatly across the board and uses

improvisation throughout. “Jazz is an original American musical are form that originated around

the start of the 20th century in New Orleans, rooted in African American musical styles blended

with Western music technique and theory. [It] uses blue notes, syncopation, swing, call and

response, polyrhythm, and improvisation” (Trinh, 1). It is an interesting style of music in that it

is always changing. There are certainly sheets of jazz music written but for this paper I am going

to focus on the improvisation aspect of jazz.

There are usually certain informal guidelines for interpretation when it comes to music

but “in jazz, these informal guidelines are especially broad. Not only may the jazz musician

interpret dynamics, tempo, and articulation, but he may alter even the precisely notated pitches

and rhythm. They may play a melody differently every time” (Sabatella, 2). Traditionally jazz

musicians, such as Miles Davis or John Coltrane, were described as producing two types of

emotions. Historically these emotions were described as “sweet” or “hot.” Since then the term

“sweet” has switched to “cool.” “Cool” music is supposed to be soothing and pretty whereas

“hot” music is intended to be exciting. Just as I have decided to focus on the improvisation

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aspect of jazz for this paper, I am also going to focus in on the “cool” side of jazz as well. The

genre of jazz with all of its nuances would be too hard to focus on the entire thing. That is why I

have decided to focus on the “cool”, improvisation side of jazz music.

As stated in the previous paragraph, “cool” music is soothing and pretty. It got this name

based on the emotions that it caused in its listeners. The question is how does this style of music

cause emotions that can be described as soothing and pretty? That is a tough question to answer

and music psychologist and researchers in the field of the neuroscience of music don’t even

know the real answer. There are bits and pieces that are known but the exact reason is yet to be

discovered. What is known is that “there are certain elements within the music, such as change

of melodic line or rhythm that create expectations about the future development of the music.

The expectation the listener has about the further course of musical events is a determinant for

the experience of musical emotions. The greater the build-up of suspense of tension, the greater

the emotional releases upon resolution” (Vink, 2). In a sense the rhythm or melody of the music

will cause emotions of arousal and tension. These emotions are in turn “caused by interruptions

of expectations about future events” Vink, 3). By the way a piece of music is set up with rhythm

and melody, when you listen to it, you have certain expectations of the music. The longer you

wait for that expectation, the more tension builds up. The greater the build-up of that tension the

more intense of an emotion will be experienced. This falls directly in line with the familiarity of

the music. When the music is new to the listener the emotional value is low, it “progresses with

increasing familiarity and will decrease again when the music is totally known” (Vink, 3).

The familiarity aspect is where this style of music is important. If a novel song produces

few emotions and you have few expectations which lead to little arousal or tension then you have

a style of music that is soothing and pretty. Improvisation produces a song where the listeners do

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not know where it is going. More often then not, the musician probably does not know where

the music is going to go. They just let it flow out of them. This usually corresponds to when

they are relaxed but that is a whole other topic for a different time. It is hard to experiences any

sort of music emotion when the expectations and familiarity are not there.

A soothing emotion can almost be thought of a lack of other emotions. If you are not

happy, sad, angry, etc. then someone usually describes a mellow feeling, a soothing emotion. I

think this is the phenomenon that can be found in the “cool”, improvisational form of jazz music.

Granted there are a plethora of other emotions associated with jazz music. However, for this

paper I felt that focusing in on one style and delving deeper into that style would be more

beneficially than briefly touching on all the emotions that can be felt.

Perry O’Malley: CountryMusic has the power to affect and manipulate our emotions. It wasn’t until recently that

scientists explored the rational behind the way music affects us on an emotional level.

Researchers have found that several characteristics merge to influence our emotions sparked by

music. For example, in the article “Music, Emotion and the Brain,” Geetanjali Vaidya describes

a study in which “major keys and rapid tempos cause happiness, whereas minor keys and slow

tempos cause sadness, and rapid tempos together with dissonance cause fear.” The correlation

between melody and the mind indicates that listening to and playing music actually can alter how

our brains, and therefore our emotions and behaviors.

Within the large category of music, there are many genres. Of all of the genres, however I

would instinctively tie Country Music with the highest amount of emotional expression. The

tempos are often slow, and in minor keys, and the majority of the lyrics in country music

incorporate deep emotional appeals. The following songs are examples of country music songs

with emotional ties: “Whiskey Lullaby” written by Alison Krauss, “Remember When” by Alan

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Jackson, and “You’ll think of me” by Keith Urban. All three songs are merely a taste of the

sentimental music produced by country musicians.

“Than the strength he had to get up off his knees; we found him with his face down in the

pillow; with a note that said I'll love her till I die; and when we buried him beneath the willow;

the angels sang a whiskey lullaby,” sung by Alison Krauss in a soft pitch and slow melody has

the power to induce feelings of sadness or remembrance. Country music lyrics follow themes

like love, death, aging, etc. Alison Krauss has shown the ability to inflict emotional ties with her

music, and her audience may use this tune to relate, and reflect on their own situation. Alan

Jackson’s hit “Remember When” is another example of this word use, “Remember when we

vowed the vows and walked the walk; gave our hearts, made the start, it was hard; we lived and

learned, life threw curves; there was joy, there was hurt; remember when.” With these symbolic

lyrics, we are able to understand that he is speaking of a wedding, and sharing the rest of his life

with the one he loves. This song in particular will affect the emotions of anyone who has

experienced a wedding and seen love first hand. Again, this song is another instance of slow

tempo, melody, and he accentuates “flowery” words such as love, and hearts to cause emotion.

“Take your records, take your freedom; Take your memories I don't need'em; Take your space

and take your reasons; but you'll think of me,” illustrates feelings of remorse and sadness.

Country songs are notorious for nostalgic lyrics; Keith Urban embraces this stereotype.

In the textbook Psychology, Stephen F. Davis elaborates on the James-Lange theory and

the sequence of evens that trigger emotional responses. He recognizes that emotional stimulus

influences a physiological change which then triggers emotion. The emotion created by a piece

of music almost indefinitely is affected by memories previously associated by that piece.

Therefore, when the song is played, even long after the event took place, the individual is

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reminded of the emotions that he or she felt when they first heard the song played.

Neurobiologists will continue to research the factors behind the tie between emotion and music,

however it undeniable the lyrics of country music have an effect on our behaviors, and mental

processes; psychology at hand.

Alexis Roark: Pop 

       Don’t you ever feel sad and sticking in your favorite CD makes you feel so much better.

Music can be very influential in a person’s life. Different types of music bring on different

emotions and behaviors. These emotions and behaviors can be good or bad, it varies greatly

which each type. People listen to music for many different reasons. If someone is sad they would

listen to a different type of music than if you were happy for example. Music has always been a

huge part of my life. This is because it helps me express myself and what I am feeling at that

time. If it is hard for you to express yourself in words then music is there for you to help you out.

Music affects my emotional state of being more than anything, and it distracts me from my

problems at the time. The music I listen to now is very different from what I used to listen to

when I was younger.

             My childhood was shaped around listening to mainly pop music. This involved mostly

boy bands, such as the Backstreet Boys. Pop music is usually described as upbeat and enjoyable

to listen to. Pop music is defined as, “not a particular genre or style of music, simply that which

is the most popular for the tracked period of time,” (Wikipedia). I always thought of pop music

as a genre, and it always seemed to be someone like Britney Spears or N*sync that sang the

music. The emotions and behaviors associated with pop music that I get are that it puts me in a

good mood almost instantly. I listen to pop music usually when I am already happy. I associate it

with having a good time with friends and hanging out. It is the type of music you listen to ensure

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a good time always. Pop music today is somewhat associated with dance music, and that is why I

think of a good time when I think of pop music especially. Most pop songs are about love and

relationships. These songs are easy for the listeners to relate to so that they will want to listen to

these songs.

        The reason we are so influenced by music is because of our brain. There are certain parts of

the brain that are responsible for our emotional reaction to certain kinds of music. "Deep in our

long-term memory is this rehearsed music,” Hasner says. “It is processed in the emotional part of

the brain, the amygdala. Here’s where you remember the music played at your wedding, the

music of your first love, that first dance. Such things can still be remembered even in people with

progressive diseases. It can be a window, a way to reach them.” Music & Emotions: Can Music

Really Make You a Happier Person, 2008 EzineArticles.com. When you hear a song something

is triggered in your brain somewhere that will produce an emotion. “The left hemisphere is more

active during positive emotions such as happiness,” (Psychology 5th edition, Davis and

Palladino).

          I think people are drawn to pop music and they want to play it because it is a way to

lighten the mood. Also like I said before it is relatable and fun to listen to. Certain songs that I

listened to as a child I still listen to today. Those songs bring back so many memories from my

childhood, and I still know all the lyrics. I remember these memories because they were good

times that I never want to forget.

Paul Weber: Hip-Hop/rap

The genre of Rap evokes many different emotions because fundamentally speaking hip-

hop is built on the pillars of various other influences. Also, Rap music can change wildly from

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song to song. First I am going to focus on the specific song “Give It Up” by Twista featuring

Pharrell Williams, and then I am going to focus on hip-hop as a genre.

The song “Give it Up” puts me in the emotional state to dance. And while some might

argue that I was in a mood to dance and that is why I played such a song, I would argue that Hip

Hop is a conditioned stimulus that elicits the conditioned response of dancing. Stephen F. Davis

and Joseph J. Palladino define a conditioned response as “a response elicited by a conditioned

stimulus that has been paired with an unconditioned stimulus” in their book Psychology. They

further state that, “the conditioned stimulus is a neutral stimulus that acquires the ability to elicit

a conditioned response after being paired with an unconditioned response.” While one might

argue that it is obvious that music would elicit a response of dancing, I would argue that my

experience as a DJ would prove otherwise. Not all music makes people want to dance. While

most genres of music elicit some sort of an emotional response I would be the first to point out

that the vast majority of people do not get down to Yanni, Radiohead, or John Williams. I would

say that a subject’s familiarity with a particular song one of the most important factors that

determine whether or not it will make a person want to dance.

The producers of “Give it Up” are well known hit makers that often make the biggest

dance club hits. All of their songs are very similar to one another and because of this, their beats

are often recycled. The drumbeat from Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body” is the same as

Snoop Dogg’s “Beautiful,” and because of this the listener already has a built in familiarity

between two songs. In a similar way “Give it Up’s” lyrical repetition and rapid repetitive drum

beats are similar to popular dance songs such as Calvin Harris’s “The Girls,” Girl Talk’s “LC

and Lo”, and Common featuring John Mayer and Kanye West’s “Go.” Personally as a DJ I

know that whenever I hear a new “danceable” song that reminds me of poplar dance song I get

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excited at an almost subconscious level because I always like playing new music that makes

people get excited.

Hip-Hop creates a dynamic emotional array because it borrows beats, lyrics, and sounds

from other songs in different genres in order to compose a new song. This “sampling” method

in hip-hop works because it also makes the genre relatable to a wider audience. One song in

particular that crosses many genres is Kanye West’s “Stronger.” “Stronger” remind me of the

nineties because it samples Daft Punk’s “Bigger, Harder, Faster, Stronger”, which was a huge

techno dance hit in the 90s. The techno era in and of itself brings back emotions and memories

of the 70s disco era. Coincidentally, the group Daft Punk also uses samples in its music. The

beat of “Bigger, Harder, Faster, Stronger” is a sample of Edwin Birdsong’s funk hit of the late

70s “Cola Bottle Baby.” By association, Kanye West’s “Stronger” takes its listeners back to a

period that has become nostalgic and continues its emotional impact into the present.

Overall, as a whole, Hip-hop has become one of the most dynamic emotional mediums in

current music. With that said, hip-hop still tends to be “dance” music, and because of that the

response of dancing, and the emotions that come with such an act, are the ones that mostly

commonly occur.

From the research we were able to conclude that music definitely causes emotions and

behaviors in both the artist and the listener. We have found that some genres of music tend to

cause a certain type of emotion and other genres tend to cause a different emotion. However, it

is not entirely black and white. There are similar emotions that can be found throughout the

different types of music. For example, reggae, rock, and jazz music can both cause a soothing,

happy feeling but they can also cause different emotions. Soft rock usually causes a soothing,

happy feeling while hard rock usually causes negative emotions. Our music preference also

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plays a role in the emotion felt. Surprisingly, “our early exposure is often our most profound,

and becomes the foundation for further musical understanding.” Our “musical preferences also

have a large social component based on our knowledge of the singer or musician, on our

knowledge of what our family and friends like, and knowledge of what the music stands for.

Historically, and particularly evolutionarily, music has been involved with social activities”

(Levitin, 240). A person’s early exposure and current knowledge/feelings about a song can

influence the emotions and behaviors that come about from listening to that song. So what

emotions are felt by listening to a certain genre of music? That is a hard question to answer.

“There are at least six emotions recognized everywhere: anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness,

and surprise” (Davis and Palladino, 268). The not so simple answer is that music is capable of

causing all types of emotions and any genre can cause any emotion. However, there does seem

to be some trends that are associated with each genre of music.

References

American Music Therapy Association, Inc. (2004) What is Music Therapy? [File posted on theWorld Wide Web]. Retrieved April 21, 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://www.musictherapy.org/Cliff, Jimmy. “Wonderful World.” Lyrics. Wonderful World, Beautiful People. A&M, 1970.

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Ezine Articles, Music & Emotions: Can Music Really Make You a Happier Person? “"Deep in our long-term memory is this rehearsed music,” Hasner says. “It is processed in the emotional part of the brain, the amygdala. Here’s where you remember the music played at your wedding, the music of your first love, that first dance. Such things can still be remembered even in people with progressive diseases. It can be a window, a way to reach them…" 2008

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