Three Reasons Why Humans Love Music
Why do humans love music? It could be as simple as a feeling of surprise. Musical surprise comes from the tension stimulated by expectation. The same piece of music we enjoy at first can become predictable with repeated exposure. Despite this, we all develop a subconscious sense of which notes sound right. And we can use this information to make our music preferences even better. Here are three reasons why we enjoy music. Hopefully, you will find these fascinating facts to be interesting.
Research shows that music triggers emotional responses in listeners. Music triggers emotional responses in three key areas of the brain – the amygdala, cerebellum, and nucleus accumbens. When children listen to music, they develop language faster. This is because the musical rhythms trigger regions of the brain responsible for memory encoding and emotional processing. Furthermore, music enhances hearing in the elderly. This may be because it protects the nerve cells in the auditory system.
Research shows that our brain releases dopamine, a chemical responsible for pleasure. This chemical is released when we feel good, which is why people listen to music. Listening to music releases dopamine, which is the chemical that fuels motivation and addiction. We feel the pleasure of music through our brain’s reward centers. Rhythmic patterns in music cause the release of dopamine, a substance responsible for addictive behavior.