Zhu, Hongjuan, and Krause, Amanda (2025) Exploring the Impact of Music Activity on Well-Being and Basic Psychological Needs in Cross-cultural Settings. In: [Presented at the 18th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition]. From: ICMPC 2025: 18th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition, 21-25 July 2025, Sao Paolo, Brazil.

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Abstract

Basic psychological needs (BPN)—autonomy, competency, and relatedness—are central to Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000) and vary across cultures (Chirkov et al., 2003). China and Singapore are more collectivist emphasising interdependence, while the UK and Australia are more individualistic prioritising autonomy (Hofstede et al., 2010). Although Krause et al. (2019) found a positive association between BPN and well-being through music participation in Australia, this finding was limited to a single cultural context. Therefore, the present mixed methods study examined the relationship between BPN and perceived well-being (defined using the sub-dimensions of mood and coping, esteem and worth, socialising, cognitive, and self-actualisation) via music participation in the UK, Australia, China, and Singapore.

Semi-structured interviews (N = 20 university students) were conducted with participants from China (n = 8), the UK (n = 8), Australia (n = 3), and Singapore (n = 1). Thematic analysis highlighted music’s role in enhancing well-being and BPN through social connections, stress management, emotional expression, and cognitive development. While participants from all four countries noted that music participation improved socialising, mood and coping, and fulfilled relatedness, the impact on other dimensions of well-being and BPN was more variable across cultures. Notably, most Chinese participants mentioned their music participation were externally driven by the goal of improving their comprehensive evaluation scores at university, whereas participants from the UK and Australia were more motivated by personal interest and passion. Self-actualisation was frequently mentioned by participants from the UK and China, but not by those from Australia.

Building on Krause et al. (2019), this study underscores that the relationship between well-being and BPN through music participation varies across cultures. The findings highlighted that the Chinese participants from collectivist cultures were externally motivated to engage with music activity, reflecting the influence of Chinese university culture, while those from individualistic cultures (UK and Australia) were internally motivated by interests, reflecting autonomy. These results emphasise the necessity of considering cultural context when evaluating the impact of music on well-being and BPN, advocating for culturally sensitive approaches in designing music-based well-being interventions.

Item ID:	86465
Item Type:	Conference Item (Poster)
Keywords:	music psychology, psychology of music, social and applied psychology of music, well-being, self-determination theory, SDT, basic psychological needs, cross-cultural, music participation,
Date Deposited:	12 Aug 2025 01:27
FoR Codes:	36 CREATIVE ARTS AND WRITING > 3603 Music > 360301 Music cognition @ 40% 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5205 Social and personality psychology > 520505 Social psychology @ 60%
SEO Codes:	28 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 2801 Expanding knowledge > 280121 Expanding knowledge in psychology @ 60% 13 CULTURE AND SOCIETY > 1301 Arts > 130102 Music @ 40%
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