Title: Exploring the Influence of Music Listening on Conscious Thoughts and Imagination

Time: 4:30 – 6:00 pm
Venue: LG04, Hui Yeung Shing Building

Delivered in English, all are welcome

Synopsis:
Music’s capability to influence conscious thought has not been systematically explored yet. While some mental phenomena, such as autobiographical memory and/or involuntary musical imagery, have received attention from researchers, less is known about other types of internally-oriented cognition, including mind-wandering and visual imagery. However, within the various ways people incorporate music into their daily lives, it is common for individuals to listen to music to engage in fantasies, daydreams, mind-wandering, escapism, or introspection, highlighting the significance of internally-oriented mental processes for musical experiences. In this talk, I will present an overview of recent empirical music research that focuses on mind-wandering and visual imagery. I will show that music acts as a trigger to shape the occurrence and phenomenology of people's mental experiences, discuss the relationship between music-evoked thoughts and emotions, as well as the relevant practical applications of this new strand of research.