Dr. Mats Küssner

Dr. Küssner erforscht, wie Musik auf psychologischer und sozialer Ebene wirkt – insbesondere ihre Rolle bei der Emotionsregulation, bei der Bekämpfung von Einsamkeit und bei der Gestaltung religiöser Erfahrungen. Aktuelle Projekte untersuchen, wie Musik über kulturelle Grenzen hinweg Emotionen vermittelt, wie sie in religiösen Kontexten (z. B. Pfingstkirchen mit Flamenco-Traditionen) spirituelle Erfahrungen prägt, und wie gezielte musikalische und visuelle Reize genutzt werden können, um soziale Überzeugungen und Empathie zu beeinflussen. Für Unternehmen und öffentliche Institutionen relevant sind Anwendungen in den Bereichen psychische Gesundheit, Altenbetreuung, Gemeinschaftsförderung und möglicherweise auch in der Verhaltensänderung durch emotionale Ansprache. Die Forschung verbindet Kognitionswissenschaft, Ethnographie und experimentelle Methoden, um nachzuweisen, dass Musik nicht nur kulturelle Bedeutung hat, sondern auch messbare Effekte auf Denken, Wohlbefinden und Überzeugungen hat.

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• Altering entrenched socio-cultural beliefs through music: a novel use of emotional contagion

  Quelle ↗

  This project envisions a method in which targeted exposure to customized sensory stimuli of music and video can be utilized as a means to modify entrenched socio-cultural beliefs. The aim is to develop an innovative method of approach which increases empathy via exposure to customized sensory stimuli of music and video as a means to modify entrenched socio-cultural beliefs via emotional contagion.The intended result is the reduction of emotional prejudice, and intensification of levels of empathy towards vulnerable groups who may be the targets of discrimination. The project has two objectives: first, to examine how music-induced emotions can alter negatively entrenched socio-cultural parameters of xenophobia and racism; second, to promote a subtle, non-invasive and cost-efficient method of increasing empathy towards marginalized communities by the host population. With the world divided into countries which host refugees, and countries which, due to a multitude of reasons, create refugees, it is imperative that a way is found to build mutual understanding through compassion and empathy toward people in need. Advancements on cognitive/emotional/behavioral-focused studies in how to effectively measure empathy, compassion, well-being, and socio-cultural identifiers of human behaviour provide a more focused and targeted approach on how to mobilize interventions which have been proven to have an effect on the human psyche. This method has the potential to reduce emotional prejudice and increase humanisation to its listeners based on stimulus context. So far, very little cross-disciplinary research has directly explored the possible links between music and socio-cultural scales, nor attempted to use this approach as a potential method of affecting mood in this manner. The significance of this project lies in the proposition that (predominantly) music-induced emotional stimuli have the potential to alter socio-cultural traits which are perceived to be negative by the majority of the population, through exposure to a variation of sensory input (music, videos) meant to “humanize” the other via emotional contagion. Potential findings will generate evidence which can alter the way we think about music and human behaviour in general. The empirical results may open up new avenues for exploring novel methodological approaches in how to combat xenophobia and racism, thus radically enhancing music’s potential as a method of increasing empathy.

• The content and functions of vivid and soothing visual imagery during music listening: Findings from a survey study.

  2019

  Psychomusicology Music Mind and Brain · DOI

  Studies have suggested that visual imagery forms an important part of the listening experience and might be one of the mechanisms by which music induces emotions in a listener. However, little is known about the content, prevalence, and function of visual imagery during music listening. To that end, an online survey was constructed to explore music-related visual imagery. This included 24 statements about visual imagery based on previous research and an open question regarding the content of their inner images. Several standardized questionnaires (Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire and Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index) were included as well to investigate the link to visual imagery in non-musical contexts and across individuals with various levels of musical training. In total, 669 participants provided responses to an online survey. A factorial structure of music and visual imagery statements provided a three-factor structure consisting of vivid, soothing, and disruptive visual imagery, although the actual factor structure was nonidentical between the musically trained and untrained respondents. Separate analyses of factors for musically trained and untrained participants yielded a more parsimonious structure of visual imagery, which consisted of vivid and soothing visual imagery. These two factors consistently exhibited different weights across the items; for musically trained participants, vivid imagery was more related to modulating arousal than for untrained participants. The ability to conjure up vivid visual imagery was only weakly related to the presence of music-related visual imagery. A content analysis of the open question revealed common themes that related to a mixture of concrete visual imagery (landscapes, images of people, and scenes from past events) and abstract visual imagery (shapes, objects, and colors). Implications of these findings for further studies on music-induced emotions are discussed with a focus on a recent constructionist account of emotional meanings in music.