“The Kind of Music That Makes My Skin Crawl” : Disgust Associated with Musical Experiences

This is a sel -a chi ed e sion o an o iginal a icle. This e sion may di e om he o iginal in pagina ion and ypog aphic de ails. Au ho (s): Ti le: Yea : Ve sion: Copy igh : Righ s: Righ s u l: Please ci e he o iginal e sion: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ “The Kind o Music Tha Makes My Skin C awl” : Disgus Associa ed wi h Musical Expe iences © 2023 selec ion and edi o ial ma e , Max Ryynänen, Heidi S. Kosonen and Susanne C. Ylönen; indi idual chap e s, he con ibu o s Published e sion Pel ola, Henna-Riikka Pel ola, H.-R. (2023). “The Kind o Music Tha Makes My Skin C awl” : Disgus Associa ed wi h Musical Expe iences. In M. Ryynänen, H. Kosonen, & S. Ylönen (Eds.), Cul u al App oaches o Disgus and he Visce al (pp. 147-159). Rou ledge. h ps://doi.o g/10.4324/9781003205364-16 2023 11 “The Kind o Music Tha Makes MySkin C awl” Disgus Associa ed wi h Musical Expe iences Henna-Riikka Pel ola Fo many people, music is a sou ce o pleasu e and in ense, posi i e emo ions. Ou Wes e n concep ualiza ions o music ha e long emphasized i s posi i e ole in human expe iences, conside ing i as a uni e sal “language o emo ions” (Cooke 1959) ha connec s people in a way wo ds canno : a “paci ying, healing medium” (Ga a 2019), which many belie e can be ac i ely used o suppo heal h (e.g., Ekholm, Bonde, and Juel 2015). E en i a piece o music is disliked o conside ed as ‘bad’, we migh s ill be s angely in igued by i . Washbu ne and De no (2004, 2–3) s a e ha he e is a i ual lo e-ha e ela ionship behind people’s alue judgemen s o music, implying ha ou concep s o “musical badness” would be mos ly discu si e, posi ioning ges- u es used o cons uc ing ou social iden i ies and pe sonal aes he ic as es. Thus, musical expe iences a e o en conside ed undamen ally posi i e o he ex en ha e en ou mos nega i e expe iences a e ac ually pleasu able, ha we “lo e o ha e” (ibid.) he kind o music ha is no o ou liking – o as F i h (2004, 19) p oposes, “’bad music’ is a necessa y concep o musical pleasu e, o musical aes he ics.” In his chap e , I will challenge his o e ly posi i e iew o music, explo e he da k sides o musical expe iences, and in oduce a a ie y o uly nega i e emo ions associa ed wi h music lis ening, which p e iously ha e been la gely igno ed in s udying music- induced emo ions. Since he 1990’s, music’s ole in emo ional expe iences has gained inc easing a en- ion in bo h academic and non-academic con ex s. In he in e disciplina y esea ch eld o music and emo ions, also he e is a s ong consensus ha one o he mos impo an easons o lis en o music in he s place is o expe ience emo ions, and ha music e okes mainly posi i e emo ions in lis ene s (Sloboda and Juslin 2010). Because o his posi i e bias, nega i e emo ional expe iences ha e no ecei ed as much in e es among music schola s, o hey ha e e en been conside ed as i ele an in a musical con ex ; Zen ne and Ee ola (2010, 197) desc ibe how, some imes, in he s udies in es iga ing musical emo ions, “ adi ional emo ion ca ego ies ha e been modi ed by eplacing musically inapp op ia e ca ego ies such as disgus and su p ise wi h mo e ing ca ego ies such as ende ness o peace ulness.” Along his line, he emo ion models egula ly used in music psychology emphasize posi i ely oned emo- ions, and e en exclude mos nega i e emo ions al oge he . When nega i e aspec s o music ha e been unde in es iga ion, he majo i y o s udies ha e concen a ed on so called “pa adoxical enjoymen ” o music-induced nega i e emo ions, such as sadness o agg ession (e.g., Ee ola e al. 2018; Ga ido and Schube 2013; Thompson, Gee es, and Olsen 2019). Al e na i ely, conce ns ha e been exp essed ega ding he side-e ec s o nega i ely oned music on indi iduals’ DOI: 10.4324/9781003205364-16 148 Henna-Riikka Pel ola well-being, such as encou aging an isocial o sel -des uc i e beha io (see Thompson 2015, 235). The a ie y and meaning o a e si e, subjec i e expe iences associa ed wi h music a e no ye well unde s ood, a si ua ion which is likely o main ain he idea ha music o music-induced expe iences could be only posi i e o ha mless a mos . Howe e , music is known o ha e been pu posely used o e oking unpleasan a ec i e eac ions o emo ional manipula ion, and e en as a ool o o u e (Cusick 2006; Ga a 2019; K uege 2019). Thus, igno ing he ac ha a e sion migh be a genuine esponse o musical ma e ial is a se ious de ec o he cu en academic and non-academic discussions on music and emo ions. Howe e , e en i we accep he idea ha people migh ha e unpleasan expe iences while lis ening o he kind o music hey do no like, is i possible hey ac ually eel disgus ed by i , o is disgus uly an inapp op ia e emo ion when i comes o musical con ex s, as i has been p oposed? In o de o answe hese ques ions, I will explo e he a ec i e aspec s o a e si e expe iences ela ing o music lis ening. Relying on ecological psychology and cons uc i is app oach o emo ions, I will s discuss he a he poo ly unde s ood na u e o nega i e emo ions in musical con ex , hen, I will e iew some o he ecen ndings o empi ical s udies in es iga ing disliked music and a e si e musical expe iences, and nally, I will conside he implica ions o cu en cons uc i is heo ies o emo ions and a ec o s udying nega i e a ec- i e esponses o a . I will conclude he chap e by conside ing whe he disgus could eally be an app op ia e concep o employ when aiming o unde s and unpleasan musical expe iences. Aes he ic Emo ions and Embodied Disgus How is i possible ha music e okes s ong emo ions in he s place? The ac ha we eac o me e sounds ha seem o ha e no implica ions o ou li e goals has puzzled schola s since ancien G eece, as Juslin and Sloboda (2010) poin ou . T adi- ional psychological heo ies on emo ions ha e s uggled in explaining he exis ence o emo ions expe ienced in aes he ic con ex s, as well as ecognizing nega i e emo- ional esponses o a objec s. In gene al, mode n empi ical esea ch on aes he ics has hea ily emphasized posi i e emo ions and pleasan ness o he expe ience, and iden i ed aes he ic esponses wi h liking and p e e ence (Coope and Sil ia 2009; Sil ia and B own 2007). Simila assump ions abou he na u e o musical expe iences ha e domina ed empi ical esea ch on music and emo ions, as is exempli ed in he wo majo heo e ical pa adigms, he basic-emo ions hypo heses and app aisal heo y o emo ion (see e.g., Wa enbu g 2020). The basic-emo ions hypo heses p opose ha ce ain human emo ions (e.g., hap- piness, sadness, ange , ea , disgus , o su p ise) a e uni e sal, inna e s a es o he human mind ha a e ela ed o speci c b ain unc ions and embodied p ocesses and, he e o e, occu in mos o all cul u es (Nieden hal 2007; F ijda 2008). Thus, i is also assumed ha basic emo ions ha e some uni e sal, uni ed meanings and ela e o xed beha io al endencies ha a e linked wi h inna e, undamen al ac ion goals, such as pe sonal achie emen s and losses. In he con ex o a and c ion, he exis ence o basic emo ions has been seen as a he pa adoxical, since “ c ional igge s” should no be able o e oke ‘ eal’ emo ions (see e.g., Ki y 1989). Ne e heless, based on empi ical e idence (e.g., Vuoskoski and Ee ola 2012), we know ha emo ions expe- ienced in ela ion o music lis ening ha e simila i ies wi h emo ions expe ienced in The Kind o Music Tha Makes My Skin C awl 149 o he con ex s, as hey in ol e simila physiological ac i a ion and cogni i e changes. Because o his, sugges ing ha hey would be somehow less eal as expe iences han emo ions in non-musical con ex s seems somewha dismissi e. The app aisal heo y o emo ion aims o sol e his p oblem by p oposing ha emo- ions induced by music would be music-speci c, aes he ic, musical emo ions, which a e di e en om e e yday emo ions (Zen ne , G andjean, and Sche e 2008). This idea is especially e iden in he discussions o nega i e emo ions, which a e adi ion- ally conside ed as being a e in he con ex o music lis ening: acco ding o p e ious empi ical s udies, people end o ecognize nega i ely oned exp ession in music (e.g., sadness o ea ), bu ins ead o expe iencing nega i e emo ions, he music p oduces posi i e e ec in hem (Kallinen and Raja a 2006; Gab ielsson 2002). In hei 2008 ques ionnai e s udy, Zen ne , G anjean, and Sche e classi ed emo ions such as con- emp , disgus , and ange as “nonmusical emo ions,” since he pa icipan s o hei s udy e alua ed hem as a e o unusual expe iences. The conclusion by Zen ne , G andjean, and Sche e (2008, 498, 501) was ha he pe cep ion o nega i e emo- ions in music does no ansla e o ac ual nega i e emo ional expe iences, because music lis ening does no ha e any nega i e eal-li e consequences. This kind o con- clusion sugges s a a he unc ionalis , amodal “inpu -ou pu ” app oach o emo ions, which emphasizes cogni i e app aisal p ocesses needed in esponding o pa icula en i onmen al challenges and issues ha need o be add essed o human su i al. Fu he mo e, Zen ne and colleagues’ s a emen migh sound naï e in he sense ha p o oca i e o challenging wo ks o con empo a y a , o example, a e indeed known o e oke nega i e esponses in he wide audience: acco ding o Sil ia and B own (2007), ange , disgus , and con emp a e, a e all, common esponses o aes- he ic objec s. Nega i e esponses like hese a e no unknown in he musical con ex ei he : his- o ical accoun s o he u ious io s and e en iolence, which a ended he p emie e o Igo S a insky’s balle Le sac e du p in emps in 1913 (see Walsh 2001) o he so-called Disco Demoli ion Nigh in 1979 iolen ly a acking disco music (see F ank 2007) demons a e how s ongly people a e able o eac o music ha challenges hei as e o aes he ic and mo al ideals, despi e he ac ha hese do no pose an appa en , immedia e, and conc e e h ea o dange o hem. Mo eo e , some people do epo expe iencing s ong a e si e emo ions while lis ening o music, which again challenges he idea ha nega i e emo ions would be i ele an when i comes o musi- cal expe iences. I will discuss hese accoun s mo e in-dep h la e in his chap e . Based on he kind o e idence p esen ed abo e, i should be ob ious ha adi ional emo ion models canno p o ide us adequa e unde s anding o any a - ela ed a ec i e expe ience, especially when i comes o nega i e emo ions in aes he ic con ex . Fi s o all, by emphasizing he indi idual psychological p ocesses o emo ions, hese heo ies end o exclude he social and cul u al aspec s which shape he expe iences, which is a de ec when s udying emo ions in any con ex s, since cul u al di e ences in expe i- encing and exp essing emo ions a e well known (e.g., Heine 2008; Jack, Calda a, and Schyns 2012; Miyamo o and Ma 2011). The ole o socially and cul u ally lea ned emo ion concep s and language (e.g., Ba e 2006, 2017) a e a he excluded om he models. Secondly, al hough adi ional emo ion heo ies do no deny he ole o human body in emo ions, he embodied na u e o a ec i i y and emo ions is no eally g asped wi hin hese pa adigms. Thus, a mo e holis ic app oach on emo ions and a ec i i y is needed in explaining nega i e aes he ic emo ions. 150 Henna-Riikka Pel ola Cu en cons uc i is iews on emo ion and cogni ion emphasize he embodimen o human exis ence. Theo ies o embodied cogni ion p opose ha pe cep ion, ac ion, and in o ma ion p ocessing a e all shaped by he b ain, body, and i s in e ac ions wi h he ou side physical wo ld (e.g., Ca , Ke e , and Winkielman 2018). The so- called “4E app oach”1 has oo s in phenomenological philosophies, as well as Ges al psychology and ecological psychology (Wa enbu g 2020). F om he 4E pe spec i e, emo ions a e conside ed as “bo h e olu iona ily p epa ed and cul u ally and de el- opmen ally shaped,” as ou a ec i e expe iences and exp essi e/ges u al epe oi e de elop h ough ou li espan in in e ac ion wi h he en i onmen and o he people in i (Colombe i 2018, 580). These p ocesses o meaning-making ely on embodied in o ma ion: e en abs ac concep s a e gene a ed wi h he help o body-based mean- ing. Acco ding o Johnson (2018), he whole ich a ie y o human meaning-making and communica i e ac i i y is no limi ed o linguis ics and in en ional e baliza ion; a he , all o ms o a , spon aneous ges u es, and i ual p ac ices eme ge om his body-based meaning gene a ed in dynamic in e ac ion wi h ou en i onmen , which a o ds us pe cep ually meaning ul in o ma ion; a o dances. This concep was de el- oped by Gibson (1966) in his ounda ional wo k on pe cep ual sys ems and di ec isual pe cep ion. In he con ex o music, o ins ance, musical a o dances would be mul imodal pe cep ual in o ma ion ha p o ide us a ious in e ac ion possibili ies, such as synch oniza ion and bodily alignmen wi h music; hey a e needed in danc- ing o playing an ins umen , bu also music’s mood induc ion quali ies, and socio- communica i e quali ies o sense-making, emo ional and aes he ic expe iences, and judgemen s o alue, as Reyb ouck (2017) summa izes. Embodied music cogni ion, which has become a popula pa adigm wi hin music pe cep ion and cogni ion esea ch, iews he body as he cen e o musical expe ience (Thompson and Vuoskoski 2020), bu his app oach has no ye become qui e as domi- nan wi hin he eld o music and emo ion esea ch. O cou se, schola s d awing om ecological psychology and he 4E app oach ha e acknowledged human a ec i i y and emo ions as embodied expe iences. Fo ins ance, Cla ke (2014, 355) has a gued o he impo ance o paying a en ion o phenomenological quali ies o lis ene s’ embod- ied expe iences when s udying music-induced emo ions, as he ound he e m ‘emo- ion’ “ oo na ow, and pe haps oo blun ” o do jus ice o a ec i e expe iences aking place in a musical con ex . Fu he mo e, Schia io e al. (2017a) e iewed he his o y o music and emo ion s udies, and p oposed ha since he exis ing heo ies p o ide oo na ow iews on musical a ec i e expe ience, enac i e/dynamic sys ems app oach would be e se e us in s udying bo h musical emo ions and music cogni ion (see also an de Schy and Schia io 2017). Ne e heless, Schia io e al. (2017a) also ecog- nized how limi ed a en ion his kind o app oach has ye ecei ed in empi ical music esea ch. Wa enbu g (2020), on he o he hand, sugges s ha enac i is pe spec i es on emo ion a e gaining mo e popula i y among music and emo ion esea che s, as hese heo e ical pe spec i es ha e been applied in ecen a icles published. To summa ize my a gumen a ion hus a , emo ions a e embodied phenomenon, pa o ou social eali y, and dependen on implici ly o explici ly lea ned sha ed con- cep s, alues, and belie s. In ac , al hough disgus , o s ick o ou heme, is o en clas- si ed as one o he basic emo ions, o eel disgus ed ac ually equi es some lea ned, concep ual knowledge. Acco ding o Rozin, Haid , and McCauley (2008), subs ances ha seem o be uni e sally conside ed as disgus ing, such as eces o decay, a e no au oma ically ejec ed by young child en. The e is no inna e ejec ion o such hings The Kind o Music Tha Makes My Skin C awl 151 because he a e si e eac ions de elop h ough in e ac ion and ac i e aining p o- ided by he ca egi e s. The e a e also cul u al di e ences in concep ualizing elici o s o disgus – o ins ance, cul u e de e mines wha is conside ed o be e men ed and delicious a he han decayed in he case o speci c ood i ems. Fu he mo e, dis- gus is no induced only in esponse o ‘na u al’, conc e e subs ances. In e pe sonal aspec s and mo al iola ions a e capable o inducing simila eelings, physiological eac ions, and b ain ac i i y in some people han bad as es o odo s. (Rozin, Haid , and McCauley 2008). This kind o “mo al disgus ” is especially dependen on he implici and explici lea ning o he social and cul u al alues, bu his does no mean ha he expe ience would necessa ily be any less physical han disgus induced by oul subs ances. The e o e, i is no necessa y o assume i is me ely a gu e o speech o a linguis ic e o when people say hey ge “g ossed ou ” o nd abs ac hings “ epul- si e.” Ra he i is an ac ual concep ualiza ion o hei embodied expe ience. I “disgus seems o equi e encul u a ion,” as Rozin, Haid , and McCauley (2008, 765) p opose, explaining disgus by e e ing o he basic emo ion hypo heses makes no sense. Ins ead, conside ing emo ional episodes as dynamic meaning-making p ocesses whe e he a ec i e meaning o he expe ience eme ges in he in e ac ion be ween he expe ience ’s body – including i s au obiog aphical his o y and senso- imo o capabili ies – wi h i s en i onmen and i s pe cep ual a o dances loaded wi h socially and cul u ally cons uc ed alues, helps us unde s and how all kinds o emo- ions, including nega i e ones, can be expe ienced in aes he ic and ‘ c ional’ con ex s such as music. A e si e Music and Disgus ing Feelings Disliked music and a e si e musical expe iences ha e no gained much academic in e es un il qui e ecen ly. Washbu ne and De no (2004) w i e how schola ly li e a- u e sys ema ically igno ed he kind o music ha was conside ed as “bad,” “ alue- less,” and “unwo hy” by he ga ekeepe s o academic inqui y. By his, he au ho s a e e e ing mos ly o he popula music domain and musicological deba es on alue o ma ion and discou ses in ol ed in hese discussions. Thei comp ehensi e edi ion o essays abou “bad music” highligh s how music ha is deemed as being “disgus - ing” o “Ki ch” by some au ho i ies o music aes he ics – o some imes e en he main- s eam audience – can p o ide o he people indulging in guil y pleasu es, means and ools o social iden i y p ocesses, o a is ic ways o challenging he musical s a us quo. Ye again, hese pe spec i es highligh he assump ion ha , e en ually, musical expe iences ha e mo e posi i e ou comes compa ed o he nega i e ones. F i h (2004) makes an excep ion he e in conside ing o wha ex en esponses o “bad music” be conside ed as discu si e phenomenon as opposed o eal, a ec i e expe iences. In his ho ough analysis, F i h poin s ou ha aes he ic judgemen s a e necessa ily angled up wi h e hical judgemen s, and ha a he co e o hese expe i- ences, he e is he emo ional esponse o he sound: “When we label some hing as ‘bad music’ i is because i is music ha , i no hing else, upse s o o ends us, ha we don’ wan o lis en o” (2004, 30). F i h iden i es ange ha is e oked by disliked music, and which is o igina ed in iola ion o people’s musical expec a ions and ide- als, mo al alues, and social iden i y. Fu he mo e, he p oposes ha ange can also be elici ed by somebody else’s music ha is in ading ou space, “ ha we can’ lis en o i as music,” and ha we end up expe iencing i as noise ins ead o music, which 152 Henna-Riikka Pel ola is supposed o be “a pleasu able o ganiza ion o sound” (32, emphasis added). The undamen ally posi i e essence o music is again echoed in F i h’s de ni ions, implying ha disliked music is no ac ually music a all; i we a e no in con ol o he sounds we hea , hey become noise. Al hough I migh no comple ely ag ee wi h F i h he e, empi ical ndings ha a e in line wi h his conclusions ha e been made in ecen s ud- ies ocusing on he psychology o disliked music. The p elimina y wo k o Acke mann (2019) and Me ill (2019) p o ide us insigh s in o lis ene s’ psychological s a egies ela ing o nega i e a i udes owa ds bo h disliked music and singing oices in popula music. Thei ndings sugges ha , in addi ion o aspec s ela ing o social iden i y, psychological, emo ional, and physical esponses also play a c ucial ole in a e si e musical expe iences. In my ecen p oj- ec (Pel ola and Vuoskoski 2021), we in es iga ed people’s desc ip ions o unpleas- an musical expe iences, and ound simila pa e ns in esponden s’ quali a i e ee desc ip ions: a e si e musical expe iences we e cha ac e ized by unpleasan and in olun a y bodily eelings, pe cei ed loss o pe sonal agency, and iola ion o social o mo al a i udes and alues. Fu he mo e, as in F i h’s (2004) analysis, inexplicable ange was epea edly desc ibed by ou esponden s as a ypical eac ion o unpleas- an music, which could o en lead o e en hos ile beha io owa ds he sou ce o music o o he people associa ed wi h he music. Bu wha does ange ha e o do wi h disgus ? In he 1970’s, Ca oll Iza d p oposed ha , oge he wi h con emp , ange and dis- gus o m a so-called hos ili y iad, a g oup o emo ions associa ed wi h agg ession, opposi ion, and con ic (1977). Al hough he e a e di e ences in he qualia and ac ion endencies, hese h ee concep s migh ha e mo e in common han wha is implied in he day- o-day con e sa ions abou emo ions. Be kowi z (1993) p oposes ha humans ha e a “buil -in” associa ion be ween nega i e a ec and an ange /agg ession esponse. A e si e e en s gene a e nega i e a ec and a udimen a y ange expe i- ence, which can u he be in e p e ed in di e en ways depending on he indi idual, hus esul ing in di e en nega i e emo ions. He assumes ha any kind o nega i e a ec could ac i a e a leas pa s o his ange /agg ession sys em, al hough “ce ain ypes o eelings a e pa icula ly likely o se he ne wo k componen s in o ope a- ion” (Be kowi z 1993, 11). Thus, i we conside emo ions as embodied expe iences eme ging in dynamic in e ac ion wi h he en i onmen , he kind o “mo al disgus ” (c ., Rozin, Haid , and McCauley 2008) e oked by music could lead o agg ession, con emp , o anxie y, depending on he lis ene ’s au obiog aphical his o y wi h hei pe sonal alues and social biases, p e ious expe iences o music, senso imo o abili- ies, and cu en si ua ion and mood. Fo one o ou (Pel ola and Vuoskoski 2021) pa icipan s, his ange /agg ession sys em igge ed by music makes he eel agg es- si e, whe eas o ano he , he eeling is close o o e whelming agony: I can’ con ol he sensa ion: I can eel i e en when I’m no hinking abou i , bu I can e en ually g ow numb like I can do wi h bad smells, physical pain, o i i a ion. Loud noise makes me mo e agg essi e han some o he a e si e hings. (woman, 62 yea s, hal -p o essional musician) I ’s agonizing, especially i I can’ decide whe he I’m lis ening o i o no , so I can’ con ol he si ua ion. I can eel he music in my bones. (woman, 48 yea s, non-musician) The Kind o Music Tha Makes My Skin C awl 153 Fu he mo e, i is no only mo al abuse ha music can be associa ed wi h, bu i can also p oduce physical iola ions el s ongly in he body and conside ed as, a leas o some ex en , disgus ing. In ou s udy (Pel ola and Vuoskoski 2021, 5–8), he desc ip- ions o in olun a y physiological esponses o a e si e domina ed he pa icipan s’ accoun s: [M]y b ea hing is shallow; I ha e his eeling like I ha e a lump in my h oa . My neck and shoulde s eel ense. (woman, 33 yea s, hal -p o essional musician) I eel a li le nausea ed, ha e his bad eeling in my s omach, my body becomes ense and ies o nd ways o escaping he si ua ion. (non-bina y, 33 yea s, non-musician) These kinds o bodily eelings such as nausea o a “bad eeling in he s omach,” unpleasan chills, and he eeling o a lump in he h oa , a e ypical esponses o dis- gus (see Rozin, Haid , and McCauley 2008). No all esponden s speci ed he cause o hese eac ions, bu he e we e also explici sound quali ies ha we e epo ed as e oking disgus ing eelings, such as s ong bea , loud and hea y bass, and he bass d ops used in EDM, which all seemed o us like an immedia e, embodied esponses o sound equencies h ough ac ual bodily esonance: Dance and ance music, he kind wi h a humping bea , makes me physically sick, al hough I don’ know why. (woman, 37, non-musician) I can’ s and bass d ops; hey gi e me unpleasan goosebumps. (woman, 29, non-musician) One esponden e en s a ed ha she expe iences simila unpleasan physical esponses om bo h a e si e music and ASMR ideos. This is an in e es ing nding, since bo h o hese mediums, music and ASMR ideos, a e o en made o e oking senso y expe- iences ha a e highly pleasu able o he pe son ha ing he expe ience. ASMR (Au onomous Senso y Me idian Response) is a e m ha is been used by people who expe ience pleasu able bodily sensa ions and ‘ ingling’ eelings, ypically in he head and spine, in esponse o speci c sounds and/o isual s imuli, such as whispe ing, lip smacking, apping on di e en kinds o su aces, and slow hand mo e- men s. A ound his senso y phenomenon, a la ge online communi y has eme ged wi h hund eds o housands o membe s and he so-called “ASMR is s”, who p oduce id- eos ha aim o igge hese sensa ions in hei audience (e.g., Gallaghe 2016; Poe io e al. 2018; Tuu i and Pel ola 2019). On he o he hand, he sounds gene a ing plea- su able ASMR esponse in some people can also elici s ong nega i e esponse called misophonia in o he s. Especially “man-made sounds,” such as sounds o someone ea ing o b ea hing, o o he sounds ela ing o h oa , nose, o hands can be s ong misophonic igge s (McGeoch and Rouw 2020). Based on p elimina y e idence, he e seems o be a neu al basis and pheno ype di e ences explaining why some people expe ience s ong anxie y, ange , and “ gh o igh ” esponse when hea ing ce ain igge sounds, and ha high in e ocep i e sensibili y and bodily awa eness migh be linked wi h misophonia (Kuma e al. 2017). The scien i c unde s anding o ASMR 154 Henna-Riikka Pel ola and misophonia is s ill limi ed, bu i is likely ha he e is a con inuum be ween e e y- day sounds and music, as well as how he a ec i e expe iences e oked by hese a e cons uc ed. Fo ins ance, ce ain quali ies o a e si e singing oices iden i ed in he p e ious s udies (“b ea hy” o “g ainy” glo al sounds, singe lisping o singing in a “childish” way; see Me ill 2019; Pel ola and Vuoskoski 2021) bea a s ong esem- blance wi h some o bo h ASMR and misophonic igge s. A simila desc ip ion was gi en by ano he pa icipan o ou s udy: I ha e i he singe is whispe ing, o i hei oice is nasal o wheezy, i hey’ e ‘yodeling’ o p onouncing wo ds in a lazy way, o hey’ e lisping. (woman, 39 yea s, hal -p o essional musician) This u he sugges s ha ou endency o humanize music is a leas pa ly based on he audi o y and physical quali ies o he musical sounds p oduced by ano he embodied human being (o some imes o he sound sou ces imi a ing hese sounds). In addi ion o sound quali ies, some pa icipan s in ou s udy (Pel ola and Vuoskoski 2021) also desc ibed he seman ic con en o music alone as being capable o e oking physical disgus in hem, which illus a es how language and e balized meaning- making a e no disembodied p ocesses bu mly based on ou embodied cogni ion and a ec i e sys em: I [ he singe ] is shaming emale bodies, i makes me eel like somebody ouched me wi hou pe mission. This eac ion eels e y physical. (woman, 28 yea s, non-musician) Thus, like ASMR ideos, (a e si e) musical sounds can also “blu he bounda ies be ween language, sound and ges u e,” as Gallaghe (2016) p oposes, and ac as “de ices o supplying sca olding o subjec s’ expe iences” (Tuu i and Pel ola 2019, 353), leading o unpleasan physical sensa ions and eelings o disgus . I will nex explo e how hese physical, a ec i e, and in e subjec i e sound quali ies may ha e des uc i e dimensions, especially in he case o in olun a y musical engagemen . Hacking he A ec i e Mind and Emo ion-Regula o y Sys em wi hMusic Music lis ening, as an ac , is o en conside ed o be a somewha passi e and dis- embodied e en , as opposed o playing an ins umen o mo ing o music, which ha e adi ionally been seen as e y much embodied and in he ocus o expe imen al music cogni ion s udies (see Thompson and Vuoskoski 2020). Ne e heless, lis ening is also e y much pa icipa o y endea o be ween he lis ene , musical ma e ial wi h i s a o dances, and he social con ex whe e he ac o lis ening occu s. Schia io and colleagues (2017a) s a e he e is pe cep ual au onomy wi h ega d o how people de elop “a ec i e-emo ional in e ac ions wi h music,” which a e dependen on hei p e ious, embodied musical expe iences. Mo an (2017) p oposes ha he in e ac i e p ocesses o music lis ening happen h ough he pa icipa o y wo k be ween he expe- ienced agency o he lis ene and he imagined en i ies – o he musical agen s, such as musicians pe o ming he music, he compose who c ea ed he music, he oice (ac ual human oice o ins umen -as- oice) hea d in music, and he music as an ac