Daikoku “Understanding Embodied Cognitive Mechanisms of Music Based on Brain Predictive Processing”

Mini-symposium “QB3:Qualia, Brain, Body, Behavior”
2024 January 15 (Mon)
bicr.atr.jp/decnef/mini-sympo...
Tatsuya Daikoku
Title: “Understanding Embodied Cognitive Mechanisms of Music Based on Brain Predictive Processing”
Abstract:
Music has shaped the human experience and exerted a significant influence on our emotions.
This musical emotion also gives rise to bodily sensations and interoception, resulting from physical changes such as accelerated heart rate and the occurrence of goosebumps. Recent studies suggest that brain predictive processing contributes to musical emotion and the associated embodied cognition, referred to as music chills. However, the underlying mechanism that affects both our minds and bodies remains poorly understood.
In this presentation, I will discuss our recent studies that examined how the perception of music chords elicits bodily sensations and emotions through the brain’s predictive processing. We conducted body-mapping tests on 527 participants exposed to chord progressions and detected the temporal fluctuations of musical uncertainty and surprise (i.e., prediction error) evoked specific bodily sensations and emotions. That is, some chord progressions with particular temporal dynamics of surprise and uncertainty elicit bodily sensations, specifically in the cardiac and abdominal regions, which are closely linked to interoception. Furthermore, we have observed a positive correlation between the intensity of cardiac sensations and the valence in chord progressions characterized by low uncertainty and high surprise.
Based on these findings, I propose two important factors that contribute to embodied musical emotion: temporal dynamics of predictive processing and music-triggered interoceptive sensation. That is, predictive uncertainty intertwines with musical surprise in a hierarchical manner, allowing us to derive enjoyment from music and experience the emotions it elicits. Further, such musical experiences induce interoception, particularly around the heart and abdomen. Our study highlights the crucial role of interplay between uncertainty and surprise in shaping emotional responses and
also suggests a hypothesis for emotion generation through predictive processing and musical embodiment. This study has the potential to shed light on the importance of recognizing diverse forms of musical pleasure and their unique effects on both our minds and bodies.

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Thanks.