The Effects of Tempo and Tonality on Emotion: A Musicological Approach to Mass Communication Research on Music Effects

Abstract

The present study’s goal was to test the effects of the tempo and tonality of a video’s music score on emotions. Emotions were selected from three theoretical frameworks: Posner’s two-dimensional model, Balkwill and Thompson’s music-oriented basic emotion model, and Zentner et al.’s Geneva Emotion Music Scale (GEMS). By designing this study based on musicology research, this study can speak to music-related research in the mass communication field. It was hypothesized that tempo would have effects on arousal, tonality on valence, and that there would be clearer effects on GEMS than on basic emotions. A 2 (tonality: minor, major) x 2 (tempo: slow, fast) between-subjects experimental design was used, with 470 participants randomly assigned to one of the four conditions. A film music score was transposed for piano and four versions were recorded: Fast in minor key, fast in major key, slow in minor key, and slow in major key. Participants watched a neutrally-valenced video superimposed with the music from their respective condition, followed by a questionnaire addressing their emotions and possible confounding variables. Results indicated that tempo had an effect on arousal and the GEMS emotion of peace, while tonality had an effect on valence, the basic emotion of happiness, and the GEMS emotions of joy, transcendence, nostalgia, and peace, thereby supporting the hypotheses. Finally, individuals with musical proficiency experienced stronger levels of induced emotions, however, music proficiency did not affect tempo and tonality effects. Implications for the mass communication field are discussed further.