The Impact of Ancient Greek Musical Melodies on Emotion Perception: An Archaeological Perspective

Abstract

This study explores the effects of different musical melodic patterns, derived from archaeological findings of Ancient Greek music, on college students' emotion perception. Utilizing quantitative mood measures and comparative analysis methods, the role of musical melodic morphology in influencing emotion perception was investigated. The findings indicate that harmonious polyphonic melodies significantly enhance positive emotion perception, particularly in terms of emotional potency and arousal, whereas dissonant polyphonic melodies tend to evoke negative emotional responses. The potential effects of students' musical backgrounds and personal musical preferences on emotion perception were also examined, with results showing that these factors had no significant impact on emotions. This study underscores the crucial role of musical melodic patterns in modulating emotion perception and offers a novel archaeological perspective to the field of music psychology.