The Heart of Music

Abstract

As can be inferred by the title, the project primarily focuses on exploring physiological responses to various music genres. The project specifically examined how different genres of music–such as pop, R&B, and rock–affect the participants’ heart rate. By investigating the connection between musical genres and physiological states, the project aimed to comprehend how rhythmic patterns, tempo, and emotional tone influences pulse responses in individuals. Participants listened to the chosen songs from different musical genres in a controlled environment and their heart rate was recorded in real-time using a heart rate monitor. To moderate the heart rate of the participants, these individuals sat in complete silence for 5 minutes after each song played. Additionally, the project took note of safety precautions before and after the experiment to ensure a smooth, calm gathering. The results showed that the more stimulating genres of music like pop and rock had a more intense heart rate. However, the results also found that personal bias towards certain genres of music can influence one’s perception and heart rate. For instance, the project examined an unclear relationship between people’s heart rate and musical genres. This is notable because it only occurred in participant 1’s results, as regardless of the difference in tempo, rhythm, and dynamics, the results remained consistent and similar. The project concluded that the hypothesis was half-proven as the results from our experiment demonstrated how pop and rock had a higher heart rate, whereas a more calmer genre like R&B had a less intensive heart rate.