Affect-matching music improves cognitive performance in adults and young children for both positive and negative emotions

Three experiments assessed the hypothesis that cognitive benefits associated with exposure to music only occur when the perceived emotion expression of the music and the participant’s affective state match. Experiment 1 revealed an affect-matching pattern modulated by gender when assessing high-arousal states of opposite valence (happy/angry) in an adult sample (n=94) in which mood classification was based on self-report, and affective valence in music was differentiated by mode and other expressive cues whilst keeping tempo constant (139 BPM). The affect-matching hypothesis was then tested in two experiments with children using a mood-induction procedure: Experiment 2 tested happy/angry emotions with, respectively, 3-5- (n=40) and 6-9-year-old (n=40) children, and Experiment 3 compared happy/sad emotions (i.e., states differing both for valence and arousal profiles) with 3-5-year-old children (n=40), using music pieces differentiated also by fast vs. slow tempo. While young children failed to discriminate systematically between fast tempo music conveying different emotions, they did display cognitive benefits from exposure to affect-matching music when both valence (e.g., mode) and arousal level (e.g., tempo) differentiated the musical excerpts, with no gender effects

Amateur sport and emotional burnout formation in high school students

Practicing sports, as well as physical activity in general, contribute to a healthy lifestyle, help to prevent numerous chronic diseases, and play a therapeutic role in addressing a number of cognitive and psychological disorders (such as depression, distorted body image and self-perception and low self-esteem). As regards students, freshmen with higher physical capabilities can better adapt to new college environment, which in turn influences their well-being, psychological state and ability to study. The aim of our study was to detect the level of emotional burnout and individual psychological characteristics of the university students, engaged in amateur sports. It was shown that the group of amateur sportsmen demonstrated higher level of arousal and mobility of neural processes, and lower level of neuroticism, lower level of neurotisation, anxiety, psychic tension and depression. This allows us to conclude that the type of nervous system may define the disposition toward the physical activity, and the strength of nervous system determines the ability to achieve success in sports. Our data indicate that practicing sports prevent the development of burnout, reduce the negative impact of daily emotional stress and provide a socially acceptable way to express aggression