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The Emotional Effects of Music on Religious Experience: A Study of the Pentecostal-Charismatic Style of Music and Worship

Kenneth T. Strongman

Department of Psychology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealandk.strongman{at}psyc.canterbury.ac.uz

The relationship of the Pentecostal-Charismatic (P-C) style of music and worship practices to religious experience was investigated. The compositional devices typically found in this type of church music were analysed with respect to their potential emotional effects. In Study 1, members of a P-C church responded to questionnaires and interviews about the importance of music in their church services. Participants' mood significantly increased from directly before the service until directly after the music and worship part of the service, although there was little change throughout the remainder of the service.

In Study 2, a P-C group and a non-P-C group had their reactions assessed to four musical selections. Two selections were secular and two were religious, as used in P-C church services. The groups had similar reactions to the secular pieces but the P-C group had stronger "energetic" and "awesome" emotional reactions than the non-P-C group to the religious selections. Familiarity with and associations to the music seemed to be the important factors in this effect. The investigation demonstrated how music is used as a facilitator of religious experience in a P-C church. Results are discussed with respect to their implications for the links between music, emotion and religious experience.

Psychology of Music, Vol. 30, No. 1, 8-27 (2002)
DOI: 10.1177/0305735602301004


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