Emotional Priming in Classical Music:

An Experiment on Modulating and Intensifying Emotional Responses to Classical Music

by Dr. Michael Bühler

What is this study about?
Why does classical music sometimes move us deeply – and at other times hardly at all?
Previous research shows that one of the main reasons many people avoid classical concerts is not the music itself, but a lack of emotional connection to it (Tröndle 2010b). This is precisely where our preliminary study begins.

Against this background, the present pilot study addresses a central question:
Can the emotional accessibility of classical music be intentionally shaped and/or enhanced – and if so, how?

At the core of the study is a real-world experiment investigating whether and how the emotional perception of classical music can be deliberately influenced. The starting point is a key assumption from emotion psychology: musical emotions do not arise from sound alone, but are fundamentally shaped by cognitive appraisal, context, and expectation (Juslin & Västfjäll 2008).

More specifically, the study examines whether narrative and visual contextualization – so-called emotional priming – can alter the type, intensity, and valence of emotional responses to music. Put differently: can the very same piece of music evoke something entirely different depending on its framing?

Theoretically, the study is grounded in psychological models of emotion, which argue that musical emotions do not emerge solely from acoustic features, but are strongly influenced by cognitive appraisal, expectation, context, and meaning (Juslin & Västfjäll 2008).

The results clearly demonstrate that emotional responses to classical music are malleable.
Context does not merely shift emotional intensity; it can reshape entire emotional profiles.
This brings a crucial question into focus:
how must concert formats be designed if emotional connection is not to be left to chance?

We will report here on the ongoing process: on initial observations, emerging scientific insights, and on how sound worlds may shape our emotional experience.

We look forward to sharing this journey with you – and invite you to follow the project’s development with curiosity.