Musical hallucinations, musical imagery, and earworms: A new phenomenological survey.
Peter Moseley, Ben Alderson-Day, Sukhbinder Kumar, Charles Fernyhough
Consciousness and Cognition October 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2018.07.009 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 270 |
| Population | Online survey participants, including 44 individuals with musical hallucinations |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Auditory hallucinations Earworms Mental imagery Musical hallucinations |
| Key findings | Musical hallucinations were reported as less frequent, less controllable, less lyrical, and less familiar than other forms of inner music such as earworms. Participants with higher musical expertise were less likely to report musical hallucinations. The authors relate these differences to psychological models of hallucinations. |
Abstract
Musical hallucinations (MH) account for a significant proportion of auditory hallucinations, but there is a relative lack of research into their phenomenology. In contrast, much research has focused on other forms of internally generated musical experience, such as earworms (involuntary and repetitive inner music), showing that they can vary in perceived control, repetitiveness, and in their effect on mood. We conducted a large online survey (N = 270), including 44 participants with MH, asking participants to rate imagery, earworms, or MH on several variables. MH were reported as occurring less frequently, with less controllability, less lyrical content, and lower familiarity, than other forms of inner music. MH were also less likely to be reported by participants with higher levels of musical expertise. The findings are outlined in relation to other forms of hallucinatory experience and inner music, and their implications for psychological models of hallucinations discussed.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey of entity encounter experiences occasioned by inhaled N,N-dimethyltryptamine: Phenomenology, interpretation, and enduring effects. People who had a memorable entity encounter after taking N,N-dimethyltryptamine | 2020 | Survey | n = 2,561 |
| Future directions in meditation research: Recommendations for expanding the field of contemplative science Meditators | 2018 | Cross-sectional online survey | n = 1,120 |
| The Phenomenology of Lucid Dreaming: An Online Survey Respondents to an online survey about lucid dreams | 2014 | Online survey | n = 684 |
| The neurophenomenology of early psychosis: An integrative empirical study. Ultra-high risk for psychosis patients, first episode psychosis patients, and healthy... | 2019 | Cross-sectional | n = 123 |
| Spontaneous Spiritual Awakenings: Phenomenology, Altered States, Individual Differences, and Well-Being People reporting their most powerful Spontaneous Spiritual or Kundalini Awakening | 2021 | Mixed within and between-participants self-report survey design | n = 152 |
Citations in the library
Cites 8
- Varieties of Voice-Hearing: Psychics and the Psychosis Continuum. Schizophrenia Bulletin January 2017
- Experiences of hearing voices: analysis of a novel phenomenological survey. The Lancet Psychiatry March 31, 2015
- Interdisciplinary approaches to the phenomenology of auditory verbal hallucinations. Schizophrenia Bulletin July 2014
- Auditory verbal hallucinations in persons with and without a need for care. Schizophrenia Bulletin July 2014
- A new phenomenological survey of auditory hallucinations: evidence for subtypes and implications for theory and practice. Schizophrenia Bulletin January 2014
and 3 more in the library