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Marin MM, Gingras B. How music-induced emotions affect sexual attraction: evolutionary implications. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1269820. [PMID: 38659690 PMCID: PMC11039867 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1269820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
More than a century ago, Darwin proposed a putative role for music in sexual attraction (i.e., sex appeal), a hypothesis that has recently gained traction in the field of music psychology. In his writings, Darwin particularly emphasized the charming aspects of music. Across a broad range of cultures, music has a profound impact on humans' feelings, thoughts and behavior. Human mate choice is determined by the interplay of several factors. A number of studies have shown that music and musicality (i.e., the ability to produce and enjoy music) exert a positive influence on the evaluation of potential sexual partners. Here, we critically review the latest empirical literature on how and why music and musicality affect sexual attraction by considering the role of music-induced emotion and arousal in listeners as well as other socio-biological mechanisms. Following a short overview of current theories about the origins of musicality, we present studies that examine the impact of music and musicality on sexual attraction in different social settings. We differentiate between emotion-based influences related to the subjective experience of music as sound and effects associated with perceived musical ability or creativity in a potential partner. By integrating studies using various behavioral methods, we link current research strands that investigate how music influences sexual attraction and suggest promising avenues for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela M. Marin
- Department of Cognition, Emotion and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Austrian Research Institute of Empirical Aesthetics, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Bruno Gingras
- Austrian Research Institute of Empirical Aesthetics, Innsbruck, Austria
- Department of Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Wesseldijk LW, Abdellaoui A, Gordon RL, Ullén F, Mosing MA. Using a polygenic score in a family design to understand genetic influences on musicality. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14658. [PMID: 36038631 PMCID: PMC9424203 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18703-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
To further our understanding of the genetics of musicality, we explored associations between a polygenic score for self-reported beat synchronization ability (PGSrhythm) and objectively measured rhythm discrimination, as well as other validated music skills and music-related traits. Using family data, we were able to further explore potential pathways of direct genetic, indirect genetic (through passive gene-environment correlation) and confounding effects (such as population structure and assortative mating). In 5648 Swedish twins, we found PGSrhythm to predict not only rhythm discrimination, but also melody and pitch discrimination (betas between 0.11 and 0.16, p < 0.001), as well as other music-related outcomes (p < 0.05). In contrast, PGSrhythm was not associated with control phenotypes not directly related to music. Associations did not deteriorate within families (N = 243), implying that indirect genetic or confounding effects did not inflate PGSrhythm effects. A correlation (r = 0.05, p < 0.001) between musical enrichment of the family childhood environment and individuals' PGSrhythm, suggests gene-environment correlation. We conclude that the PGSrhythm captures individuals' general genetic musical propensity, affecting musical behavior more likely direct than through indirect or confounding effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura W Wesseldijk
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Solnavägen 9, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
- Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany.
| | - Abdel Abdellaoui
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Reyna L Gordon
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Fredrik Ullén
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Solnavägen 9, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Miriam A Mosing
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Solnavägen 9, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Having options alters the attractiveness of familiar versus novel faces: Sex differences and similarities. COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2021.106937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Karimi-Malekabadi F, Esmaeilinasab M. Religiosity, intrasexual rivalry, and mate retention behaviors in Iran. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2019.05.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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