Effects of familiarity with musical style on music-evoked emotions: An EEG study

Learning mechanisms have been postulated to be one of the primary reasons why different individuals have similar or different emotional responses to music. While existing studies have largely examined mechanisms related to learning in terms of cultural familiarity or recognition, few studies have conceptualized it in terms of an individual’s level of familiarity with musical style, which could be a better reflection of an individual’s composite musical experiences. Therefore, the current study aimed to bridge this research gap by investigating the electrophysiological correlates of the effects of familiarity with musical style on music-evoked emotions. 49 non-musicians listened to 12 musical excerpts of a familiar musical style (Japanese animation soundtracks) and eight musical excerpts of an unfamiliar musical style (Greek Laïkó music) with their eyes closed as electroencephalography is being recorded. Participants rated their felt emotions after each musical excerpt is played. Behavioral ratings showed that music of the familiar musical style was felt as significantly more pleasant as compared to the unfamiliar musical style while no significant differences in arousal were observed. In terms of brain activity, music of the unfamiliar musical style elicited higher (1) theta power in all brain regions (including frontal midline), (2) alpha power in frontal region, and (3) beta power in fronto-temporo-occipital regions as compared to the familiar musical style. This is interpreted to reflect the need for greater attentional resources when listening to music of an unfamiliar style, where listeners are less familiar with the syntax and structure of the music as compared to music of a familiar style. In addition, classification analysis showed that unfamiliar and familiar musical styles can be distinguished with 67.86% accuracy, Thus, clinicians should consider the musical profile of the client when choosing an appropriate selection of music in the treatment plan, so as to achieve better efficacy.