What Music Does to Your Brain

Harmony, melody, and rhythm trigger the same reward systems that drive our desires for food and sex, which is why we set out to investigate what music does to our brain. Two studies from private universities explain this and more.

Does everyone actually like music? Well, I've never met anyone who doesn't like some kind of music. Whether it's the latest summer hit or the melody of a doorbell, music seems to find a listener who feels positively affected by it, at least enough to keep listening. And when we think about this universality, we wonder how, being so different, we share the pleasure of listening to music, whatever the genre. The answer, according to several studies published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, lies hidden in the brain.

How Music Affects the Brain

Once the volume is up and the speakers are placed, the music we listen to causes the brain to secrete dopamine, a neurotransmitter that reacts the same way whenever we engage in activities we recognize as pleasurable, such as drug use, sex, and eating. The study by Valorie Salimpoor and Robert Zatorre, from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, used functional magnetic resonance imaging on participants exposed to instrumental music without human voices. The procedure detected that when exposed to their favorite songs, the participants' brains secreted dopamine from a region called the striatum.

In-depth analysis revealed that the released dopamine occurs at the climax of the song, that moment when we get chills. The process is always the same but with varying levels. Just as cocaine use or achieving orgasm generates a momentary euphoria with the highest levels of dopamine secretion, seconds before hearing that part of the song we love, or after having heard it, two extra dopamine secretions occur, driven by anticipation, prediction, and satisfaction.

Another study revealed which parts of the brain interpret music. Here they are:

• Rhythm: left frontal cortex, left parietal cortex, right cerebellum.
• Tone: prefrontal cortex, cerebellum, temporal lobe.
• Lyrics: Wernicke's area, Broca's area, motor cortex, visual cortex, and the areas corresponding to emotional responses.

But besides affecting our brain chemically, music also has other responsibilities, acting as an amplifier of emotions. At the same time, it reduces anxiety levels, decreases pain, helps in the recovery of patients, and assists patients with syndromes such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Tourette's, and autism. Listening to music also increases optimism and our communication skills, creativity, and happiness. Additionally, it has been proven that those who took music lessons in childhood perform better on exams later.

In summary, music generates pleasure in your brain and therefore it is impossible to detach from it as a direct means to have a good time. Let's listen to music!