Embodied Auditory Experience: The Influence of Music Genre and Tempo on Pleasure and Value Under Postural Modulation

ABSTRACT

This study examined the interaction between music genre, tempo, and bodily posture in influencing consumers' pleasure and experiential value, offering new insights for designing retail and service atmospheres. Across two laboratory experiments, participants listened to either classical or rock music (Experiment 1) and fast‐ or slow‐tempo music (Experiment 2) while seated or standing. The results indicate that on pleasure and experiential value when consumers are seated, highlighting the moderating role of vestibular input in auditory experiences. These findings contribute to the advancement of embodied cognition theory and present practical implications for sensory marketing and the design of service environments. We suggest that the effectiveness of background music is influenced not only by its auditory attributes but also by the listener's bodily state.