What music makes us feel

Do people all over the world perceive music in the same way? Do we get the same feelings from a song regardless of our cultural background? An exciting study from Berkeley University has explored the different emotions we experience listening to music and whether these are universal. With the help of the sound expert Alexander Kassberg, we also explore music as a tool for creating a better brand experience.

The 13 emotions of music

To map the subjective experiences that music can cause, about 2000 people from USA and China had to listen to over 2000 songs and then describe their experience. The result was fascinating. It showed that music is experienced through thirteen clear dimensions, regardless of the listener's cultural background. The researchers gave these subjective experiences the labels: amusing, annoying, anxious or tense, beautiful, calm or relaxing or serene, dreamy, energizing, erotic or desirous, indignant or defiant, joyful or cheerful, sad or depressing, scary or fearful, and triumphant or heroic.

When the participants listened to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" they experienced a feeling of joy and happiness, "Rock the Casbah" gave a feeling of energy and hard rock gave a feeling of defiance. In addition to famous songs, they also tested traditional and instrumental songs from both Western and Chinese cultures. The participants got to listen to 300 traditional songs and despite the linguistic and cultural differences, these songs caused similar feelings. This means that an 18-year-old from Texas and a 98-year-old from Beijing can experience the same emotions when they hear the notes of a bamboo flute or a mandolin.

Communication through music

A song can easily change our mood, that is something we all can relate to. What we often seem to overlook is music’s ability to influence the mood of others. In marketing this is essential, despite this there are many brands that do not fully use the potential of music. To gain a better understanding of why sound is so important for brands and their communication, we asked three questions to sound expert Alexander Kassberg, Studio Manager at Efterklang.

Why should brands actively use music in their communication?

Music and sound inevitably create emotions in those who listen, sometimes in a positive way, sometimes negatively. By developing a strategy for how your brand sounds, you can gain greater control over how your brand is perceived, instead of leaving it to chance.

Why is music a good tool to use to convey the feeling of a brand?

Because it is so immediately effective. If you work with drama production, it is old news of course, one and the same film scene can have completely different meanings depending on the music. In the same way, a brand can also be filled with a certain experience with the help of well-thought-out and consistent use of music in different contexts. With music you can communicate a lot of emotions, information and associations in seconds.

How can a brand use music in the best way?

Usually there is a rather short-term perspective on music choice. You choose music per production or per campaign, based on what fits best right there and then. If you also have a perspective on how your brand sounds in general, there is a lot to gain in the long run. Then you can create recognition and a brand experience that extends across different media, environments and campaigns. Similar to how you usually work with a graphic profile.

With Alexander's wise words in mind, we understand that there is a lot of untapped potential in music. There are a variety of effects that can be easily achieved through the right song selection. Having a hard time focusing at work? Try listening to classical music, and preferably symphonies with 60 - 70 beats per minute! If you're in a bad mood, songs from the 70's and 80's can be the right way to go (Don't Stop Me Now by Queen is a good start) and rock music can be the best way for you to deal with stress.

The same principles can be applied by brands that want to make their target audience feel something a little bit extra. Music amplifies messages and can be a powerful way to talk about a brand without words. Try watching this commercial by Sony with and without music. Surely the bouncing balls became more colorful and interesting with José González's harmonic music in the background?

The team at Story have put together a Spotify list of songs that make us feel the thirteen universal experiences, listen to it here.

Do you want to learn more about the research study? Read more here.

Sources: Berkeley University, 2020. Northcentral University, 2017. McGill University, 2011.