Apart From Being Entertainment, Music Also Helps To Understand Other People's Emotions Better

Illustration (Matheus Bartelli/Pexels)

JAKARTA - There is a relationship between music and the ability to understand other people's emotions, said a study at Emoticon, a scientific journal from the American Psychological Association. The results of the research conducted by researchers from Southern Methodist University (SMU) and the University of Oregon provide the foundation for future research related to the impact of listening to music that involves social interactions on social cognitive abilities. And whether listening to music can be added to therapeutic techniques used in social skills training for individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

"Empathy is most often thought about in the context of social interactions, but there are many other forms of social communication, including music," said study leader Benjamin Tabak, professor of psychology and director of Social and Clinical Neuroscience Lab (SCN) at the high school as quoted by ANTARA from Science Daily.

He said music can convey meaning and emotion as well as cause emotional responses. But the mechanism responsible for this emotional power is still not understandable.

In the study, Tabak and the team measured the ability to properly understand other people's thoughts and feelings (economic accuracy) and to what extent a person feels the emotions other people feel (sharing). Preliminary results found support for both hypotheses and in particular, suggesting the presence of fouric accuracy as a skill beyond interpersonal interaction into music.

The researchers hope these results will provide a basis for future studies on the impact of listening to active music in improving social cognition. Tabak and his colleagues believe their study provides tentative support for theories related to music and evolving social behavior to help individuals connect with others and better understand and manage their social environment.