Music, Emotion, and Reward

doi:10.1017/9781009342919.018

Chapter 14 - Music, Emotion, and Reward

from Section III - Emotion Perception and Elicitation

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 September 2025

Psyche Loui and

Jinyu Wang

Edited by

Jorge Armony and

Patrik Vuilleumier

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Jorge Armony: Affiliation:
McGill University, Montréal
Patrik Vuilleumier: Affiliation:
University of Geneva

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Summary

What makes music an enduring art that has withstood the test of time across so many cultural contexts? Here we review the literature on emotion and reward as it relates to music, grounding our review on multiple methodological traditions in neuroscience, as well as newer work that combines these tools with music technology and sound design. Key to these disparate lines of research is the idea that the reward system is functionally and structurally connected to the auditory system, giving rise to individual differences in the sensitivity and felt emotion for music. We conclude with implications of this research for the design and implementation of music-based interventions for improving cognitive and brain health, especially for those with neurodegenerative diseases.

Keywords

Neuroscience music auditory sound anhedonia rhythm scale

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Type: Chapter
Information: The Cambridge Handbook of Human Affective Neuroscience , pp. 288 - 305

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009342919.018 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2025

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