ABSTRACT
It is hard to imagine listening to music without somehow being affected by it and experiencing a change in attention, attitude or physical arousal. Whether it is due to culture, biology or an interaction between the two, our listening to music is closely coupled with an affective-bodily experience that may lead us to say that we feel touched, lifted, transported, or otherwise moved or affected by the music. This is often in a positive way, making us feel better than before, but sometimes also affects us negatively. Perhaps we are conditioned to judge whether or not we recognize and like the music that we hear, inferring what the music means to us, and how we relate to it. Perhaps, as well, we are so used to moving along with music that we can’t help but feel aroused or calmed by it.
