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Publication
When words matter: a cross-cultural perspective on lyrics and their relationship to musical emotions
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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Several studies have investigated emotional reactions to instrumental music. However, studies on
the effect of lyrics on emotions are limited. Previous studies suggest that the importance of lyrics
may vary cross-culturally. The aim of this study was twofold: to investigate the effects of lyrics on
aroused emotions and psychological mechanisms with music and to explore whether these differ
cross-culturally. Fifty participants from Portugal and Sweden listened to six musical stimuli based
on two songs, one representing each culture. These were presented in three versions each: the
original, an instrumental, and the instrumental version with lyrics on the screen. The Portuguese
and Swedish participants differed notably: the presence of lyrics did not affect listeners’ happiness
in neither group as predicted, but did increase sadness, albeit only in the Portuguese group. Lyrics
also increased nostalgia for the Portuguese listeners as predicted and surprise-astonishment for the
Swedish listeners. Regarding the mechanisms, lyrics increased the activation of episodic memory
in both groups, and the activation of evaluative conditioning, contagion, and visual imagery in the
Portuguese group. The present study indicates that lyrics have an effect on musical emotions and
mechanisms which vary between groups of different cultural backgrounds.
Description
Keywords
Cross-cultural Music Emotion Psychological mechanisms Lyrics . Faculdade de Ciências Exatas e da Engenharia
Citation
Barradas, G. T., & Sakka, L. S. (2022). When words matter: a cross-cultural perspective on lyrics and their relationship to musical emotions. Psychology of Music, 50(2), 650-669. https://doi.org/10.1177/03057356211013390
Publisher
SAGE Publications