Title: Music-Induced Emotions In The Body And The Brain
Date and time: May 6th at 15.00
Venue: to be confirmed
Speaker: Vesa Putkinen, Academy Research Fellow at the Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Finland
Abstract
The talk explores the neurochemical, neural, and physiological correlates of music-induced emotions, focusing on how musical experiences engage reward-related brain circuits and bodily responses. Using positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we have examined opioid system activity in response to pleasurable music, as well as brain glucose consumption patterns associated with emotional responses. The findings highlight the role of the µ-opioid system in musical pleasure, demonstrating how music-induced pleasure correlates with opioid release and haemodynamic responses in key reward regions. Additionally, pleasurable music increases brain energy metabolism in the reward circuits and motor regions of the brain. The talk also considers how culturally consistent bodily sensations contribute to the experience of music-induced emotions. By integrating neuroimaging, neurochemistry, and physiological data, this research illustrates how abstract aesthetic rewards, such as music, engage both the brain and the body, evoking emotional experiences that may resonate across diverse cultural backgrounds.
Dr. Putkinen is an Academy Research Fellow at the Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Finland. His team studies the brain mechanisms of emotions using PET and fMRI, with a particular focus on music-induced emotions and how these are linked to bodily emotional responses.