The Effects of Music Tempo and Genre-Related Arousal Characteristics on the Psychological Responses of High School Students - Focusing on Affect and Stress Responses -
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study examined the effects of music tempo and genre-related arousal characteristics on the affective and stress responses of high school students.A total of 252 high school students participated in the study, of whom 12 extreme cases identified through the music preference assessment were excluded, leaving 240 participants for the final analysis.A 3 × 2 factorial design was employed, crossing three tempo levels (slow, medium, and fast) with two genre-related arousal conditions (low and high).Genre-related arousal characteristics referred to experimentally manipulated arousal conditions based on musical properties associated with different genres, rather than to the effects of individual genres themselves.Psychological responses were assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), a stress response scale, and a self-report arousal scale.The slow-tempo condition was associated with higher levels of negative affect and stress (p < .01),whereas the fast-tempo condition was associated with significantly higher levels of positive affect and self-reported arousal (p < .001).A significant interaction between tempo and genre-related arousal characteristics was found for positive affect.In addition, self-reported arousal partially mediated the relationship between music tempo and positive affect.These findings suggest that tempo and genre-related arousal characteristics are associated with adolescents' affective and stress responses and that arousal may play a role in this relationship.However, because the study compared post-exposure responses across experimental conditions, the findings should not be interpreted as demonstrating causal changes in psychological states.Further research in authentic educational settings is needed to examine the applicability of these findings.
Author: Jae Yeung Han
Language: English
Topic: Music Therapy and Health
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7224121543