Emotional Effects of Teresa Teng’s Songs in Taiwanese Healthy and Disabled Older Adults

This study examined the emotional effects of music on the elderly using physiological measures and qualitative research methods. The stimuli were four famous songs The Moon Represents my Heart, Sweet Honey, May we all be Blessed with Longevity, I Only Care About You sung by Teresa Teng. We expected that Teng’s warm voice would have positive psychological effects on the elderly. The results show that music had no significant effect on the blood pressure, finger temperature, and high-frequency heart rate variability in the healthy participants. After exposure to music, however, the healthy participants’ heart rate significantly decreased. For the disabled participants, all these physiological measures were not affected by music. In-depth interviews reveal that exposure to music led to pleasant and relaxed emotions in the majority of healthy participants. The mechanisms of emotion regulation may be related to interpersonal connection, distraction, reminiscence, and social comparison. Our findings contribute to advancing knowledge about the beneficial effects of music activity on the quality of life for older adults.