Listening to dissonant and atonal music induces psychological tension and anxiety Comment on Consonance and dissonance perception. A critical review by Di Stefano et al.

Review Biology

Consonance and dissonance perception. A critical review of the historical sources, multidisciplinary findings, and main hypotheses

Nicola Di Stefano et al.

Summary: This article reviews the key historical sources and modern multidisciplinary findings on consonance and dissonance (C/D) and integrates them into three main hypotheses: the vocal similarity hypothesis, the psychocultural hypothesis, and the sensorimotor hypothesis. By illustrating the hypotheses-related findings, the article highlights the importance of vocal quality and roughness in explaining the C/D phenomenon. It also explores the biological underpinnings of the attraction-aversion mechanisms triggered by C/D stimuli. The article emphasizes the aversive nature of dissonance based on solid multidisciplinary findings, while the attractive nature of consonance remains a speculative claim that requires further investigation. Furthermore, the article outlines future directions for empirical research in C/D, particularly concerning cross-modal and cross-cultural approaches.

PHYSICS OF LIFE REVIEWS (2022)

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Article Psychology, Educational

Common neural bases for processing speech prosody and music: An integrated model

Alice Mado Proverbio et al.

Summary: The study found similar neural responses in processing the emotional content of music and speech, with negative music activating the right temporal gyrus and cingulate cortex, and positive music activating the left temporal gyrus and inferior frontal cortex. This suggests a possible common network for processing emotional content in music, vocalizations, and speech.

PSYCHOLOGY OF MUSIC (2021)

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Article Neurosciences