for the Cognitive Sciencesof Music Key-mood association:

The association of certain keys with specific moods continues to be widespread despite technical evidence that all equally tempered keys are identical. This paper provides experimental results which shed light on this phenomenon. First, approximately three-quarters of participants questioned claimed to have key-mood associations. Second, the key-mood associations held by participants showed a very strong correlation to late eighteenth century associations which attributed brightness to keys with sharps in their key signature and mellowness to those with flats. Third, key-mood associations were proven to be invalid for the modern, equal temperament keyboard; the participants showed no ability to be able to identify mood from key or key from mood and, overall, there was no change in perceived mood of a piece if it was performed in a different key. One reason why the key-mood association myth persists to the present day is the tradition of associating sharp keys With bright and positive moods and flat keys with dark and negative moods, which has been perpetuated by some musical commentators over the past two hundred ·years. In addition, there are a number of aspects of early musical training which encourage these associations for the sharp and flat keys