New research from the University of Jyväskylä shows who is more likely to experience complex emotions when listening to music, and that our relationship with music is more complex and nuanced than we imagine.
People tend to think that listening to sad music makes them feel sad, and listening to happy music makes them feel happy, although listeners’ emotions are often reported to be more complex than that. However, many survey-based studies require people to select only one emotion that they experience. This leaves researchers Margarida Baltazar, Ibarra Brunat and Svi Saarikario., From the Center of Excellence for Music, Mind, Body and Brain, I’m wondering: How common is it to experience both positive emotions (like love, happiness, relaxation) and negative emotions (like sadness, pain, loneliness) when listening to music?
We wanted to get a more complete picture of people’s musical experiences. To do this, we had to consider that meaningful songs can evoke both positive and negative emotions. It was also important to include participants from a variety of cultural backgrounds, taking into account personality, music use, and cultural orientation to better understand when complex emotions are likely to occur. ”
Margarida Baltazar, University of Jyväskylä
The new study is now available online. Journal of Personality Research. The researchers collected a large dataset from 2,137 participants from 84 countries. Each participant named a song that was personally meaningful to them and rated how strongly they felt each emotion while listening to it. Participants also reported how often they used music in their lives for a variety of purposes, including reminiscing about the past, forming an identity, and regulating emotions (e.g., managing moods and coping with stress).
Listening habits determine whether you experience complex emotions
The results showed that how people use music influences whether they experience complex emotions. Songs used to evoke emotions, experience the emotions conveyed by music, and express one’s own identity tended to evoke more complex emotions, whereas songs used to regulate emotions or distract oneself tended to evoke less complex emotions.
Complex emotions were also more common among younger people, people who tend to experience strong and changing emotions, and people who prefer spontaneity and flexibility. This tendency was also more frequent among people who valued independence, goals, and accomplishments while accepting differences in status and success. This result can be explained by the person’s cultural orientation.
“These people are more likely to use music to express their identity, recall personal memories, and fully experience the emotions of music, which may lead to richer and more complex emotional experiences,” commented Baltazar.
Overall, this study highlights how individual differences such as age, personality, and cultural orientation shape our emotions in music, and songs that are important to us tend to evoke more complex emotions, revealing how delicate our relationship with music is.
“Future research could examine how different musical features, such as lyrics, personal memories, modes, timbre, and other acoustic features, are linked to different emotions, such as those that make people feel both happy and nostalgic,” Baltazar suggests.
Want to learn more about your own music listening style?
The research team is currently conducting new research on music and emotions in daily life. To participate, fill out the survey, register for the second phase of the study, and win movie tickets.
sauce:
University of Jyväskylä
Reference magazines:
Balthazar, M. others. (2026). The emotional complexity of musical experiences: Cultural and personal factors. Journal of Personality Research. DOI: 10.1016/j.jrp.2025.104693. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092656625001254?via%3Dihub.
