Why Humans Love Music

Scientists have been wondering for years why humans love music. Some of the answers have to do with the striatum in the brain, a structure associated with reward and pleasure in the human brain. While this area is usually linked to language, there are several reasons why music has been found to trigger emotional response in humans. One of the biggest reasons for this is that it helps humans connect with each other. A new study suggests that music can actually help us bond with others.

Researchers from McGill University have taken it a step further by studying brain activity when people listen to music. They found that people with higher empathy responded to music in a similar way, regardless of the environment. Although there are no measurable biological benefits, music is still a highly rewarding experience for many people. There are also physiological reasons for this. A study conducted in 2004 by Mas-Herrero et al., published in the Journal of Neuroscience, showed that people who are highly empathic experience a high level of pleasure from music.

The study looked at how the brain responds to different types of music. When subjects listened to a particular type of music, their brains changed dramatically. During this process, dopamine was released in the brain, which is responsible for making people feel good. While listening to music, humans’ feelings toward it are related to their reward systems and dopamine pathways. Those who have a high degree of empathy also respond more strongly to music.