How to Use Neuroscience for Sound Design and Music

Sound Design is a crucial part of Video Games, Films, and even Music. In this research project, I want to explore how we can use basic neuroscience to elevate the audio that we create as artists, designers, and musicians.

By understanding the psychological effects of different sounds we can create more meaningful art and speak to our audience more concisely.

My goal is to break down the most common neurological triggers and relate them to the art that sound designers and musicians make.

Before I get into it, In this study I will be using original soundscapes to convey specific ideas. Headphones are recommended for listening.

I want to give thanks to John-Paul Beattie who gave me inspiration for this study at The University of the Arts.

Emotional Contagion

Emotional Contagion (EC) is a form of social contagion that is instinctual and spontaneous aka the spread of behaviors. Mirroring individuals and letting their emotions affect your own.

Examples include:

• Everyone in the office in a bad mood will put you in a bad mood.

• Crying or feeling the urge to cry when someone you love is crying.

• Smiling when someone smiles at you

We can use EC in sound design by expressing clear and very basic emotions. Happy, Sad, Fear, Anger, Relaxing, and Confusion are some basic emotions that can help convey a deeper meaning into our art.

Here is a soundscape that utilizes Emotional Contagion to convey "Happy.

Brain-Stem Reflex Theory

The Brain-Stem Reflex is what is behind every great jump scare. We either love them or hate them but they can play a huge role in trying to convey emotions in a piece.

Here is the science behind the theory,

The brainstem, which dates back millions of years before humans, might play the most important role in a jump scare. The locus coeruleus, an area of the brainstem, synthesizes the stress hormone norepinephrine. That, in turn, heightens our attention. “Those all are very deep-rooted circuits that are essentially an emergency response.

If you’re like me, you didn’t major in psychology so let’s break it down.

In the same way you would duck if a ball was being thrown at you, your brain “ducks” in order to defend itself from the “ball” which is the sudden danger.

The recipe for the perfect jump scare is,

1. Use of silence (leading up and after the jump)

2. Rhythm in movement

3. Hypnotizing Ambience

4. Utilizing a medium pace

5. Use of familiar sounds

Here is a soundscape that utilizes the Brain-Stem Reflex. (WARNING: Jumpscare)

Evaluative Conditioning

Evaluative Conditioning uses the power of association to make you feel a certain emotion toward an object. Our attitudes or preferences can significantly influence our attention, memory, decisions, and behavior.

Automatic attitude activation is a non-conscious and powerful marketing tool that businesses utilize to convince a product will make them feel a specific emotion.

For example,

• Coca-Cola’s “have-a-Coke-and-a-smile” ads. The brand name is repeatedly shown with smiling faces.

We can use the power of repetition and association in our music and sound design to convince the listener subconsciously to feel a certain emotion that is related to a sound effect or melody. In this example, I use ocean waves to convince you classical music is relaxing.

Visual Imagery

Visual Imagery is the easiest to explain. Writers use Imagery to enhance the reader and immerse us in their stories.

Using very descriptive sounds we can make the listener feel like they are actually in the scene we create. This is most important for video games to help players get into the headspace of a story. Music can also have Visual Imagery by utilizing different instruments to mimic behaviors. For example, the movie Jaws (1975) uses violins to mimic the sound of human screams in the soundtrack.

In this example of Visual Imagery, I use sound to convey a clear story. You are sitting at a campfire, it is nighttime, summer, and you are listening to the radio.

Episodic Memory

Episodic Memory is a psychological term for your core memories. Your Episodic Memory can be triggered by visuals, sounds, smells, and feelings that are connected to a memory.

Some examples are

• Reliving traumatic events / PTSD

• The smell of the food you ate as a child

• The taste of alcohol after a long night of drinking

Using Episode Memory is very subjective generally speaking. Some sounds we know as triggering to certain groups of people. Fireworks to veterans, or gunshots to gun violence survivors.

Since we can not limit our work to who consumes it, we can make pieces that stand out to a certain group.

In this example, I will be using Social Notifications to induce anxiety. This is the most commonly found Episodic Memory example among people.

Musical Expectancy

We can look at Musical Expectancy in two different ways. Imposing order or creating specific emotional environments.

Imposing Order

When we look at imposing order the example that comes to me first is the Perfect 5th. Very uplifting energy in the tone.

When our brain imposes order on a piece of music it is satisfying and comes to a resolution. Sort of like a good ending to a movie. Listen to these two clips to hear the difference. Notice how you feel after each one.

Creating Emotional Spaces

An experienced sound therapist will know which instruments and techniques to use for certain symptoms/situations as well as how to play to create different emotional spaces.

A change in volume, frequency, number of instruments used, melody, and key can all enhance expectancies and create strong feelings of excitement or fear.

Gongs and crystal bowls are commonly used in sound therapy.