Music and awe: complex emotions evoked by tonal dissonance

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Music Psychology
• Aesthetics

Background:

• The link between music and the emotion of awe is well-established.
• The specific roles of musical consonance and dissonance in eliciting awe are less understood.
• Previous research often assumes dissonance is solely unpleasant.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how musical consonance and dissonance influence experiences of pleasure, power, and awe.
• To explore the relationship between musical complexity, emotional responses, and specific dimensions of awe.
• To examine the moderating role of musical experience on these relationships.

Main Methods:

• Fifty participants rated consonant and dissonant musical excerpts.
• Ratings focused on subjective experiences of pleasure, power, and awe.
• Specific dimensions of awe (e.g., altered time perception, self-diminishment) were assessed.

Main Results:

• Dissonance elicited greater power and awe than consonance, up to a threshold of extreme dissonance.
• Increased dissonance predicted higher ratings across multiple awe dimensions, including altered time perception and self-diminishment.
• Musical experience positively correlated with greater pleasure, power, and awe, particularly with more dissonant music.

Conclusions:

• Dissonance can be a significant source of awe and power, challenging the view of dissonance as purely negative.
• The intensity of dissonance interacts with emotional experience; moderate dissonance enhances awe and power.
• Musical expertise amplifies the positive emotional and awe-related responses to dissonant music.