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[INTP] Experiencing Emotion Through Music

Orangey

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I've been wondering a lot about this topic lately. When I listen to music that I like, I feel to a degree that I simply cannot replicate in my everyday experiences with people, even in situations that would call for an intensified degree of feeling. As a result, my favorite types of music are the most extremely sensitive and emotional. Does anyone else experience this? Does everyone?

I also notice that my decision making is influenced by music. For instance, the other day I had inadvertently acted a bit like an asshole to someone I liked, and I realized that this was the case a couple of hours later when I was reflecting on our interaction together. At first, I thought, "oh well, they know me well enough that they probably understand I didn't mean anything by it." But then, as I went to go to sleep, and I put on my music (like I always do, I can't sleep without it), it got me thinking that I should write an apologetic email to that person. As the music progressed, and came to the climactic part of the song, I had fully decided that I should write them (for a number of emotional reasons, one among them being that this person was a fairly sensitive, fragile creature, and I felt really bad) and I promptly got up and did it. A little later, without my music on, I was a bit bewildered that I had decided to do that so rashly, and I almost regretted that I had. I have had many similar situations before and since this particular event.

It's as if the music turns me into the type of person who would make decisions on an emotional basis. And interestingly enough, I always value these rare decisions because they result in things that I would never imagine doing. Does this ring true for anybody else? I appreciate any comments you guys/girls wish to give.
 

01011010

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Hmmm... I know when I'm feeling something that I can't pinpoint, I will specifically begin to listen to many types of music to figure out what it is. Other than that, I don't feel much from music. Most of the time, I have no idea what the lyrics are either.
 

Orangey

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Hmmm... I know when I'm feeling something that I can't pinpoint, I will specifically begin to listen to many types of music figure out what it is. Other than that, I don't feel much from music. Most of the time, I have no idea what the lyrics are either.

Thanks for the response!

Yeah, I do that too. The searching to find the right music, that is. And I don't ever know what the lyrics to a song are.

I guess I just take it a few steps further...music has a very powerful influence over me. I have an INTJ friend, though, and she is not as totally obsessed about music as I am, either.
 

01011010

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Thanks for the response!

Yeah, I do that too. The searching to find the right music, that is. And I don't ever know what the lyrics to a song are.

I guess I just take it a few steps further...music has a very powerful influence over me. I have an INTJ friend, though, and she is not as totally obsessed about music as I am, either.

No problem. I read INTPs love of music is related to Fe.
 

ajblaise

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Sometimes when listening to good music I get those shivers/body buzzes during certain parts of the song... and I think "Is this emotion?". It's a rush that I suspect has something to do with serotonin. And serotonin has much to do with how people feel empathy.

The right music can definitely have a subtle or moderate effect on my mood, perhaps making me more sentimental for that stretch of time. I'm not big on lyrics usually, unless I view them as impeccable, which is rare. Rhythm and melody has a much larger effect on me.
 

kuranes

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I can get pretty emotional listening to music if I've been drinking a lot. Certain Tom Waits' and Neil Young songs.

I used to get a feeling of "nostalgia for the future" hearing particular songs as a boy, and thinking that I should use them to remember what it was like being a little boy when I remembered them as an adult. Certain places/locales were like that, too.
 

01011010

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I know this is unrelated, but I think the three of us (Orangey, Ajblaise, and I) come up with the best questions for the "truth or truth" thread.

/Ni Tangent Over
 

norepinephrine

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I've been wondering a lot about this topic lately. When I listen to music that I like, I feel to a degree that I simply cannot replicate in my everyday experiences with people, even in situations that would call for an intensified degree of feeling.

YES. Was that emphatic enough?

And I want to dance too, FWIW.
 

JocktheMotie

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No problem. I read INTPs love of music is related to Fe.

INTP Profile said:
Ultimately, however, music forms a vital, central role in awaking the underdeveloped Fe shadow in the life of an INTP. It is undoutedly Fe that gives the INTP the life-spark to introduce a genuine sense of joy that music is experienced with. To the INTP, the role of Fe in music appreciation remains mysterious.

The mystery of emotion is also evidence in the INTP's use of music. He always chooses to listen to music which suits his current emotional state, be it aggression, warmth, excitement, relaxation or whatever. Hence, the emotional state is assumed to be an unchangeable, mysterious property of himself. It is easier to choose appropriate music than to attempt to influence this. People with introverted Feeling, Fi, however, will deliberately choose to listen to music which helps them change and improve their mood. INTPs could never do that. They feel an unpleasant sense of disharmony whenever a music style clashes with their emotional state. Indeed, it is remarkable how much attention they pay to their emotions when music is involved.

I agree with what Ajblaise said. A lot of times, I'll listen to music and get the tingles and shivers when I listen to a great piece of music. It can usually augment a mood I'm currently having. Sometimes if I'm in a lighter mood I'll listen to one thing, a more mean mood another.
 

kuranes

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I'm usually going for accentuating an existing mood, versus changing a mood I don't like, when I put on music with a mood in mind. Of course, some of my moods are nebulous enough that this leaves a pretty open field, to be honest.
 

Orangey

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Thanks for all the replies!

No problem. I read INTPs love of music is related to Fe.

Yeah, I think I read that here. I could relate very well to the bit about music and photography.

Sometimes when listening to good music I get those shivers/body buzzes during certain parts of the song... and I think "Is this emotion?". It's a rush that I suspect has something to do with serotonin. And serotonin has much to do with how people feel empathy.

The right music can definitely have a subtle or moderate effect on my mood, perhaps making me more sentimental for that stretch of time. I'm not big on lyrics usually, unless I view them as impeccable, which is rare. Rhythm and melody has a much larger effect on me.

That makes sense. And yeah, music definitely makes me sentimental for a time (depending on the type of music and mood I'm in, of course). Lately it's been very melancholic...probably because it's winter and cold again. Rhythm and melody are everything in music to me. I've said this before, but I think that's why I like incomprehensible lyrics, either so abstract that it would take analysis to understand, or in a foreign language that I don't speak. It allows me to hear the form of the vocals instead of the content of the words.

And I, too, always get the tingling, shivers thing when I'm listening to good music. Sometimes I even feel like tearing up if it's especially beautiful. And I don't cry, ever. Music amplifies my emotions to a very high degree.

I can get pretty emotional listening to music if I've been drinking a lot. Certain Tom Waits' and Neil Young songs.

I used to get a feeling of "nostalgia for the future" hearing particular songs as a boy, and thinking that I should use them to remember what it was like being a little boy when I remembered them as an adult. Certain places/locales were like that, too.

Lol, actually I think I appreciate music far less when I've been drinking. You can't pick up on the subtleties, and subtleties are everything in music for me.

I know this is unrelated, but I think the three of us (Orangey, Ajblaise, and I) come up with the best questions for the "truth or truth" thread.

/Ni Tangent

Haha, yeah I consistently like the questions that come from both of you. I think I answer yours, 01011010, most frequently.

YES. Was that emphatic enough?

And I want to dance too, FWIW.

Lol, but INTPs don't dance!

I agree with what Ajblaise said. A lot of times, I'll listen to music and get the tingles and shivers when I listen to a great piece of music. It can usually augment a mood I'm currently having. Sometimes if I'm in a lighter mood I'll listen to one thing, a more mean mood another.

I'm usually going for accentuating an existing mood, versus changing a mood I don't like, when I put on music with a mood in mind. Of course, some of my moods are nebulous enough that this leaves a pretty open field, to be honest.

I absolutely do not do the mood changing music thing. If I'm feeling melancholic, I will resent cheerful music. Same the other way around. There was another thread about that a while ago...something about constructive vs. emotive styles, or something.
 

Anja

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I can get pretty emotional listening to music if I've been drinking a lot. Certain Tom Waits' and Neil Young songs.


Here's a paraphrase of a quote from a music critic about Tom Wait's voice which applies kuranes:

It sounds like it was soaked in a vat of whiskey, hung in a smokehouse for a couple of months and then taken outside and run over by a car a couple of times.

Funny!

Me, too, about not wanting cheerful music when I am feeling down. And vice versa.
 

Venom

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Me, too, about not wanting cheerful music when I am feeling down. And vice versa.

I absolutely do not do the mood changing music thing. If I'm feeling melancholic, I will resent cheerful music. Same the other way around. There was another thread about that a while ago...something about constructive vs. emotive styles, or something.

i generally look for songs to "bridge" emotions... like ill look for a song that starts out slow and then builds into a happy/healing song... that way i feel like im "fixing" the emotion:

example (3 min of slow --> 3 min of happy):

[youtube=PCSFz_YycYA]Shameless Floyd Plug[/youtube]
 

Eric B

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Music is usually a relief Si thing for me. Brings back memories, and even a newer song that resembles an older song or style will in interesting. I like funky, layered stuff, and I grew up breaking down music into its parts, such as chords, which I have identified as what I often focused on in songs I like. (I also grew up not noticing the words, and my wife remembers songs mostly by the words and points them out to me, though she can appreciate the layers and other technical details as well). I'm affected by it emotionally too. I grew up with stuff like Simon & Garfunkel's "Sound of SilenceK and "Scarbbough Fair" and Procol Harum's "Whiter Shade of Pail" and just the harmony of these songs could almost make me cry when I was young. As I was writing this, they were just playing on the radio Marshall Tucker Band "Can't You See" (which I probably never heard of before), but that sad country-rock sound and theme grates on me as well. This isn't the kind of "melancholic music" INTP's are said to enjoy, is it? (I would like jazzier stuff, and I can be moved more positively by a touching piece as well)
 

Ezra

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I find that music and film have the most impact on me in life. Through these media I feel more than I do in life.
 

CJ99

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Sometimes when listening to good music I get those shivers/body buzzes during certain parts of the song... and I think "Is this emotion?". It's a rush that I suspect has something to do with serotonin. And serotonin has much to do with how people feel empathy.

The right music can definitely have a subtle or moderate effect on my mood, perhaps making me more sentimental for that stretch of time. I'm not big on lyrics usually, unless I view them as impeccable, which is rare. Rhythm and melody has a much larger effect on me.

I get them too!!!!
Sometimes i literally just stop when i hear song like that first time i hear it.
I like melody and rythem but i also love clever lyrics! (see sig - first 2 are editors songs :happy:)
 

Orangey

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As I was writing this, they were just playing on the radio Marshall Tucker Band "Can't You See" (which I probably never heard of before), but that sad country-rock sound and theme grates on me as well. This isn't the kind of "melancholic music" INTP's are said to enjoy, is it? (I would like jazzier stuff, and I can be moved more positively by a touching piece as well)

Well I only speak for myself, but good lord, no! I know it's pretty typical to hear the "I hate country" thing from people, but I just really can't stand it. If you turn on Rascal Flatts (sp?) I will be angry no matter what mood I was previously experiencing.

And no, I don't mean Johnny Cash or any of the other "old country", so don't bring it up. You all know that what we call country today is an entirely different beast.
 

Amargith

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Music is always first about melody for me as that's what invokes the initial emotions. Lyrics enhance that later on in the process. I use it to calm myself, but also to reflect, to release stress and to get myself riled up to go nuts. One of my favorite methods to release stress, is put on some fine 80's music, scream along to it and dance my heart out. If I'm at a loss of how to handle my emotions, putting on the right music can amplify the feeling I'm having and help me resolve what's underneath. And yes, some songs have emotional value, and cause nostalgia coz I have such bittersweet memories of them and the music allows me to reexperience them as if I was there once more.

For me, any of these processes involve me blocking out the outside world, and literally living the music, feeling it in every part of my body, seeing the notes and colours that correspond to them. It makes me feel alive :)
 

Tallulah

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Sometimes when listening to good music I get those shivers/body buzzes during certain parts of the song... and I think "Is this emotion?". It's a rush that I suspect has something to do with serotonin. And serotonin has much to do with how people feel empathy.

The right music can definitely have a subtle or moderate effect on my mood, perhaps making me more sentimental for that stretch of time. I'm not big on lyrics usually, unless I view them as impeccable, which is rare. Rhythm and melody has a much larger effect on me.

Me, too--I'm much, much more affected by the musicality, instrumentation, rhythm, melody, etc., than by the lyrics. UNLESS the lyrics are just amazing. Some lyrics can bring me to tears because of the picture they paint--and it's not always an outright sad song. A good example would be "Sunday Morning Coming Down." There's just something about a perfectly captured feeling of loneliness amid the activity, written in seemingly plain, and yet, poetic language--it just gets me.

Music is usually a relief Si thing for me. Brings back memories, and even a newer song that resembles an older song or style will in interesting. I like funky, layered stuff, and I grew up breaking down music into its parts, such as chords, which I have identified as what I often focused on in songs I like. (I also grew up not noticing the words, and my wife remembers songs mostly by the words and points them out to me, though she can appreciate the layers and other technical details as well). I'm affected by it emotionally too. I grew up with stuff like Simon & Garfunkel's "Sound of SilenceK and "Scarbbough Fair" and Procol Harum's "Whiter Shade of Pail" and just the harmony of these songs could almost make me cry when I was young. As I was writing this, they were just playing on the radio Marshall Tucker Band "Can't You See" (which I probably never heard of before), but that sad country-rock sound and theme grates on me as well. This isn't the kind of "melancholic music" INTP's are said to enjoy, is it? (I would like jazzier stuff, and I can be moved more positively by a touching piece as well)

Yes, very much all of that--I really never noticed the lyrics much growing up, but I could sometimes sing the guitar riff or the background vocals if they interested me.

I love that country-rock sound from the 70s, though. There's something in that that feels like home, to me. It has to be an Si thing.

I don't do melancholic music. At all. I very rarely will even sit through a slow song on the radio. I'd much rather listen to something with a driving beat and lots of guitars. I think a lot of INTPs are supposed to be into techno and progressive rock, though all that stuff is too busy for me. I never understood the appeal of techno--I want some variation in my drums, for one thing.

Well I only speak for myself, but good lord, no! I know it's pretty typical to hear the "I hate country" thing from people, but I just really can't stand it. If you turn on Rascal Flatts (sp?) I will be angry no matter what mood I was previously experiencing.

And no, I don't mean Johnny Cash or any of the other "old country", so don't bring it up. You all know that what we call country today is an entirely different beast.

Rascal Flatts immediately makes me want to kill people. It SHOULD evoke that response in everyone. :smile:

I do adore old school country--probably the nostalgia thing, but also the raw sound, the more plain-spoken lyrics about pain and loss and drinkin' and cheatin'. It just feels real, somehow. And maybe more outright emotional, which might appeal to me in some perverse way, since that's not generally how I operate.
 

foodeater

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I've always thought of music as a language of emotion. I identify with a lot of what's been said here.
 
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