{
  "abstract": "Music effectively reduces pain, yet the mechanisms underlying music-induced hypoalgesia remain poorly understood. We investigated how latent perceptual dimensions of music influence pain by examining both stimulus properties and subjective evaluations of those properties in 2 experiments. One hundred thirty-four participants listened to unfamiliar musical excerpts during thermal pain stimulation. Musical stimuli were systematically selected using the validated Arousal, Valence, Depth (AVD) model, which quantifies 3 key latent perceptual dimensions of music based on groups of descriptors such as “forceful” or “calming.” Study A (n = 74) demonstrated that high arousal music increased pain unpleasantness, whereas high depth music provided relief, but crucially, these effects were completely mediated by participants' subjective ratings of musical pleasantness. Study B (n = 60) replicated the beneficial effect of musical depth and confirmed that participants' perceptions aligned with loadings of the AVD model dimensions. Individual differences in trait systemizing moderated the analgesic effect of depth in one study. Complete mediation by pleasantness ratings indicates that experiences of reward and subjective aesthetic evaluation, rather than perceived musical dimensions themselves, drives music-induced hypoalgesia. This suggests that musical pain interventions should prioritize deep and relaxing music that is well liked by the participant.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada",
    "Centre for Research in Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), Montréal, Québec, Canada",
    "International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Montréal, Québec, Canada",
    "Department of Neuroscience, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada",
    "Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Canada",
    "School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom",
    "Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music, Media, and Technology, Montréal, Québec, Canada",
    "Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Canada",
    "Department of Neuroscience, Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States",
    "Department of Music Theory, Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States",
    "Department of Health Humanities and Bioethics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States",
    "Eastman Performing Arts Medicine Center (EPAM), University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States",
    "Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom",
    "Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, McGill University, Montreal, Canada"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Elise Desbarats",
      "orcid": "0009-0005-4357-9547"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Darius Valevicius",
      "orcid": "0009-0006-5246-0860"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Anaïs Lépine Lopez",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8599-2066"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Todd A. Vogel",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6947-0698"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        6,
        2,
        7
      ],
      "name": "Robert J. Zatorre",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1730-7423"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8,
        9,
        10,
        11,
        12
      ],
      "name": "David M. Greenberg",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8658-2352"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        13,
        1,
        6,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Mathieu Roy",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3335-445X"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3f2hf0e2zefvd.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1097/j.pain.0000000000004108",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13714772/",
  "id": "3f2hf0e2zefvd",
  "issns": [
    "0304-3959",
    "1872-6623"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000004108",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Research Paper"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3207|Music Therapy and Health"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7211934327",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13714772",
  "pmid": "42708339",
  "published": "2026-09-08",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3f2hf0e2zefvd.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-01T12:22:12Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13714772",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000004108"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "journal-openalex:F27",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Perceived pleasantness mediates the effects of high-arousal and emotionally complex music on pain",
  "title_text": "Perceived pleasantness mediates the effects of high-arousal and emotionally complex music on pain",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-01T12:22:12Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3f2hf0e2zefvd",
  "venue": "Pain",
  "versions": []
}