This pilot study investigated how music influences physiological responses by monitoring heart rate, electrodermal activity (EDA), and skin temperature in 30 adult participants listening to two contrasting musical excerpts from the Concertos para Bebés repertoire. Using wearable EmotiBit™ sensors and a novel five-stage analysis pipeline, the researchers identified 489 significant physiological deviations from baseline and 82 moments where multiple listeners responded simultaneously. These shared responses were strongly associated with specific musical characteristics, particularly spectral brightness, timbral features, and rhythmic intensity. Electrodermal measures, especially skin conductance response frequency, proved the most sensitive indicators of musical engagement, while cardiac responses were linked to brighter, higher-pitched, and rhythmically accented passages. The findings demonstrate the potential of wearable sensing technologies to detect shared audience reactions to music in real time and provide a foundation for future research exploring how infant physiological responses can be integrated into interactive musical performances.
