EMOTIONAL RESPONSES TO POPULAR HINDI MUSIC: EXPLORING POSITIVE, NEGATIVE, AND MIXED EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCES

Abstract

Music is a significant medium of emotional expression and can evoke a wide range of affective experiences among listeners. The present study examined the emotional responses elicited by popular Hindi songs across four categories: romantic, sad, patriotic, and Sufi music. Undergraduate students from the University of Delhi, aged 19–25 years, listened to selected popular Hindi songs and reported the emotions and perceived personal meanings associated with each song. The songs were selected based on their popularity, with a minimum threshold of five million views during the specified selection period. Participants responses were organized into positive emotions, negative emotions, and perceived personal meaning/message and were examined using descriptive content analysis. The findings indicated that emotional responses varied across musical categories and were not restricted to a simple positive–negative distinction. Patriotic songs predominantly elicited emotions such as pride, patriotism, respect, determination, belongingness, and devotion, whereas sad songs generally evoked sadness, loss, longing, and emotional distress. However, some songs also elicited positive or soothing responses alongside negative emotions, demonstrating the occurrence of mixed emotional experiences. Romantic songs primarily evoked happiness, affection, attraction, admiration, and romantic feelings, although sadness was also reported for some songs. Overall, the findings suggest that popular Hindi songs can evoke complex and multidimensional emotional experiences, with listeners sometimes experiencing positive and negative emotions simultaneously. The study highlights the value of examining music-related emotional experiences within culturally relevant musical contexts. Keywords: Music, Emotions, Positive Emotion, Negative Emotion, Popular Hindi Songs, Emotional Responses, Mixed Emotions