Expressive Performance Modulates Groove: Effects on Pleasure and the Wanting to Move

Groove, defined as the pleasurable urge to move with music, has been widely studied as a driver of sensorimotor and affective engagement. However, less is known about how performance expressiveness – timing and dynamics variations that enrich musical communication – shape the groove experience in terms of both the pleasure and wanting to move responses. The present study investigated these interactions using a sample of non-musicians. Participants (N = 72) completed and online listening experiment with piano excerpts varying in groove level (low and high) and performance expressiveness (mechanical vs expressive). After each excerpt, they rated their pleasure and desire to move. Results showed that high-groove music enhanced both pleasure and wanting to move ratings. Expressive performances increased pleasure, particularly in low-groove contexts. Contrarily, mechanical performances were consistently rated as more movement-inducing. No interaction between groove and performance expressiveness was observed for wanting-to-move ratings, indicating additive rather than interactive effects in non-musicians. These findings support dual-pathway models of music perception, where affective and motor processes are distinct but complementary.