Auditory affective experiences as a window into the neural basis of consciousness
September 29, 2025 Joel S. Snyder, Hirohito M. Kondo, Erin E. Hannon preprint
Auditory affective experiences like misophonia, autonomous sensory meridian responses (ASMR), and musical chills offer a broader window into the neural basis of consciousness than traditional visual perception studies. These experiences are primarily triggered by meaningful sounds but are often shaped by vision, touch, and internal bodily signals. Brain regions consistently involved include the anterior insula, anterior cingulate, amygdala, striatum, secondary auditory cortex, and premotor cortex. The activity patterns align with several mechanistic theories of auditory emotional experience, some of which may apply across different phenomena while others are more specific. The review synthesizes current findings and proposes future research to identify common and distinct mechanisms.