Perceived pleasantness mediates the effects of high-arousal and emotionally complex music on pain
14 affiliations
- 1Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
- 2Centre for Research in Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), Montréal, Québec, Canada
- 3International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Montréal, Québec, Canada
- 4Department of Neuroscience, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
- 5Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Canada
- 6School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- 7Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music, Media, and Technology, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- 8Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
- 9Department of Neuroscience, Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States
- 10Department of Music Theory, Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States
- 11Department of Health Humanities and Bioethics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States
- 12Eastman Performing Arts Medicine Center (EPAM), University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States
- 13Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- 14Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
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.
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BibTeX
@article{desbarats2026perceived,
title = {{Perceived pleasantness mediates the effects of high-arousal and emotionally complex music on pain}},
author = {Elise Desbarats and Darius Valevicius and Anaïs Lépine Lopez and Todd A. Vogel and Robert J. Zatorre and David M. Greenberg and Mathieu Roy},
journal = {Pain},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1097/j.pain.0000000000004108},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000004108},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Perceived pleasantness mediates the effects of high-arousal and emotionally complex music on pain
AU - Elise Desbarats
AU - Darius Valevicius
AU - Anaïs Lépine Lopez
AU - Todd A. Vogel
AU - Robert J. Zatorre
AU - David M. Greenberg
AU - Mathieu Roy
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/08
JO - Pain
DO - 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000004108
UR - https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000004108
AB - 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.
SN - 0304-3959
SN - 1872-6623
ER -