Musical chills induce psychological insight
Félix Schoeller, Abhinandan Jain, Leonardo Christov‐moore, Nicco Reggente
November 22, 2023 preprint DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/m9ea5 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAesthetic chills—pleasurable bodily sensations paired with self-transcendent emotions—are linked to greater psychological insight and emotional awareness. In 94 participants exposed to music designed to induce chills, those who experienced chills reported significantly higher insight and emotional awareness than those who did not. The intensity of chills correlated positively with these cognitive-emotional measures. The findings suggest that bodily signals may trigger shifts in cognitive and emotional processing, pointing to the potential role of interoception in such experiences.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 94 |
| Population | Participants exposed to pre-validated musical stimuli |
| Keywords | Chills Cognition Closeness Social psychology Cognitive psychology |
| Citations | 6 |
| Key finding | Participants who experienced aesthetic chills reported greater psychological insight and emotional awareness, with chills intensity positively correlating with these outcomes. |
Abstract
Aesthetic chills involve pleasurable bodily sensations co-occurring with self-transcendent emotions. In this study, 94 participants were exposed to pre-validated musical stimuli with chills-inducing potential. Participants experiencing chills reported significantly greater psychological insight and emotional awareness compared to non-chills controls. Chills intensity positively correlated with insight and emotional awareness. These results suggest that interoceptive signals may precipitate cognitive-emotional shifts. Further research should explore the role of bodily manipulations across altered states.