Affective Impact of Music Vs. Lyrics

Three experiments were conducted to examine the relative impact of lyrics vs. music on mood. In Experiment 1, the lyrics, music, or lyrics plus music of a sad song were presented to college students. While the music alone increased positive affect and decreased depression, the lyrics plus music had the opposite effect. In Experiment 2, the sad lyrics plus music also increased depression and decreased positive affect even when performed in an up-beat style. Experiment 3 showed that pairing the melody with the sad lyrics led subjects to rate the melody alone as less pleasant one week later. Lyrics, thus, appear to have greater power to direct mood change than music alone and can imbue a particular melody with affective qualities.

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