From body to mind: Decoding emotional experiences at music festivals

Given the growing interest in the body–mind connection within emotion-related research in tourism, this study decodes the underlying processes of individuals' emotional experiences by considering the link between bodily expression and felt emotions. An “emotion–feeling–consciousness” (E–F–C) framework is proposed based on Damasio's theory of consciousness. Multi-site qualitative data collection took place at four Midi Music Festivals in China over two years. Participant observations were conducted to identify environmental characteristics and festivalgoers' bodily states. Then, picture-elicited interviews were conducted to capture evocative narratives about festivalgoers' emotional bodily states, subjective experiences, and streams of thought. Findings revealed three overarching themes: emotional turmoil, feeling what happened, and consciousness with self-renewal. Results contextualize feelings with cognitive responses and stress the significance of consciousness for self-renewal during emotional encounters. This study underscores the importance of embodied emotion in crafting memorable tourism experiences, encouraging practitioners to incorporate body movement and emotional engagement to enhance visitor immersion.