Why do certain musical chords or notes have a pleasing or chilling effect when listening? Does personality have anything to do with chord progressions that people enjoy?
A lot of it is societal. Our current popular music is still built pretty heavily on the same chord progressions as those used by Bach in the 1600s: [I-V-vi-IV](_URL_3_) of a major scale. That chord progression sounds nice because we are used to it and thats what we grew up with.
The Short Answer
A lot of it is societal. Our current popular music is still built pretty heavily on the same chord progressions as those used by Bach in the 1600s: [I-V-vi-IV](_URL_3_) of a major scale. That chord progression sounds nice because we are used to it and thats what we grew up with. A lot of popular music is also based off the [pentatonic scale](_URL_0_). Other cultures have different chord progressions/scales/musical textures. Our music nowadays does incorporate a lot of these elements, as globalization started increasing around the late 1800s, early 1900s. One very famous example of this is Debussy and [the gamelan orchestra](_URL_1_) that he saw a World Fair event. The Gamelan was an influence for one of his most famous pieces, [*Estampes*](_URL_2_). This is also why some music with sound "Latin," or "Asian," or "African" or any other generalized term used to describe types of music.
Analysis
Key Concepts: Music, chord, used
This explanation focuses on music, chord, used and spans 152 words across 9 sentences. At 124% above the average Psychology explanation (68 words), this is one of the more thorough answers in this category, reflecting the complexity of the underlying question.
What This Answer Covers
The explanation opens with: “A lot of it is societal.” It then elaborates by explaining the root cause, ultimately building toward a complete picture across 9 connected points.
How This Compares in Psychology
Ranked #19 of 500 Psychology questions by answer depth (top 5%). This places it in the comprehensive tier — the top quarter of most thoroughly answered questions. Questions at this depth typically involve multi-faceted topics requiring nuanced explanation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a simple explanation for why certain musical chords or notes have a pleasing or chilling effect when listening? does personality have anything to do with chord progressions that people enjoy?
A lot of it is societal. Our current popular music is still built pretty heavily on the same chord progressions as those used by Bach in the 1600s: [I-V-vi-IV](_URL_3_) of a major scale. That chord progression sounds nice because we are used to it…
How detailed is this explanation compared to similar Psychology questions?
This is one of the most thorough answer at 152 words, ranked #19 of 500 Psychology questions by depth. The key concepts covered are music, chord, used.
What approach does this answer take to explain certain musical chords or notes have a pleasing or chilling ?
The explanation uses root cause analysis and concrete examples across 152 words. It is categorized under Psychology and addresses the question through 2 analytical lenses.