Single chords convey distinct emotions to listeners

What is it about?

This paper examines the emotional qualities listeners hear in musical harmony in the form of single chords. The results suggest significant differences in emotion perception across chords for both expert and inexpert listeners. According to the obtained data single chords do not solely convey basic emotions such as happiness and sadness, but also more complex emotions such as nostalgia.

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Why is it important?

The surprising finding that even single chords convey distinct and complex emotions such as nostalgia is relevant not only to the study of music psychology and musicology, but also to the study of emotions in general.