Back in college, I read several music philosophers and they typically make assumptions about the “humanness” of music. This made it sound like music had universal appeal and a universal interpretation, at some basic level, across cultures.
As I studied ethnomusicology, I learned that this might not be true: while I enjoyed some of the music of other cultures (say, Gamelan music of Indonesia), I can’t say it’s something that held for me the same appeal of my Bach or Beethoven.
This study is interesting. It suggests that the emotional qualities we attach to music may be universal. So, the important part wasn’t if the “foreign” folks liked or disliked the music, but what they associated with the music: happiness, sadness, or scared.
This makes sense when we think about a “typical” movie score where we’re supposed to be “scared.” Despite the wide gamut of music, all of that scared music turns pretty stereotypically to the same types of textures and effects.