Music-induced emotion as controlled hallucination: an active interoceptive inference account.

Music evokes emotion by making the brain infer a 'virtual body' whose internal states are implied by musical patterns. The framework treats rhythm, dynamics, and timbre as pseudo-interoceptive cues that the brain integrates with real physiological signals and context. Within a hierarchical generative model, top-down predictions combine with actual arousal to produce a conscious blend of genuine bodily sensation and simulated affective qualia. Analyses of works by Mozart, Schubert, Berlioz, Beethoven, and Verdi show how composers manipulate these cues to drive precision-weighted prediction error, sustaining attention and immersion. Music-induced emotion is redefined as a controlled hallucination of bodily change, with implications for aesthetic empathy and therapy.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Music is widely recognized as a powerful elicitor of embodied emotion, yet the precise mechanisms by which auditory patterns are translated into specific bodily feelings remain underspecified. Existing models of contagion and entrainment often lack granular mappings between musical features and distinct interoceptive states. This article proposes a novel theoretical framework viewing musical emotion as an instance of active interoceptive inference. I argue that musical structures (e.g., rhythm, dynamics, timbre) function as "pseudo-interoceptive" evidence. Within a hierarchical generative model, the brain integrates these cues with actual physiological signals and extramusical context to infer the somatic state of a "virtual body" implied by the music. Conceptually, this approach extends bottom-up theories by emphasizing top-down predictions. It is posited that the resulting conscious experience is a composite: it blends the listener's genuine physiological arousal-serving as an energetic substrate-with the simulated affective qualia of the virtual persona. To illustrate this, principled mappings are proposed between musical parameters and internal states, specifically focusing on cardiac and pain-like sensations. Analyses of works by Mozart, Schubert, Berlioz, Beethoven, and Verdi demonstrate how composers manipulate these cues to drive a relatively high level of precision-weighted prediction error, thereby sustaining attention and fostering immersion as the music unfolds. Ultimately, this framework redefines music-induced emotion as a "controlled hallucination" of bodily change, offering new insights into aesthetic empathy and the therapeutic potential of music.