The study revealed that not all cultures view music the same way

While most humans experience deep emotions when listening to music, our understanding of what makes them happy or sad doesn’t seem universal, according to new research.

“The degree of familiarity with major and minor music plays an important role”

Conducted by Australian researchers, this new study was published in the journal PLUS ONE He was mainly interested in Emotional realization of Music Main and secondary. In Western cultures, The first is seen almost systematically as happy, and the second as sad : Turning a major melody into a minor key immediately seems to cause melancholy or melancholy.

It seems that Such emotional attachments are not shared by some isolated communities in Papua New GuineaA little exposed to western music.

” The degree of familiarity with major and minor music plays an important role in the perception of the former as happy and the latter as sad. ‘, he explains Eileen Smithlead author of the study.

To reach these conclusions, Smith He and his colleagues examined the emotional correlates of major and minor tones in people living in Sydney And in several villages in the river valley Urua in Papua. The latter can only be reached by small plane or after several days of hiking, and its different communities have similar musical traditions but different levels of familiarity with Western-style music.

Surprising results

The scientists played different recordings combining a major melody and a secondary melody or advanced tensing for the participants, who had to select the melody that made them happy.

“ Western listeners and most Papua bands who were exposed to Western music were more likely to say the lead chord progression or melody was the happiest. ‘, he explains Smith. ” The group from Papuans with little exposure to Western music showed no preference and was more likely to opt for the minor version. »

Although these works appear The importance of the degree of familiarity with the emotional perception of musicAnd the Smith He emphasizes that this does not mean that there are no universal answers about it.