Songs in the key of life: What makes music emotional?

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18367-songs-in-the-key-of-life-what-makes-music-emotional.html

by wallflower • 17 years ago

9 2 17 years ago

I think the reason music makes us emotional goes beyond language. I think music also taps into the Amygdala, which is the part of the brain that regulates fear. There are certain sounds in nature that are scary or ominous. Low sounds like the sound of thunder or the low bellow of a lion are scary sounds in nature because they come from dangerous things. Things that make you disappear. Being afraid of those sounds is an avoidance mechanism, I think. People who avoided the things that created those sounds survived, therefore natural selection must have played a role in why we find certain sounds scary...or happy or whatever. It's possible to mimick those natural sounds artificially through music. That's probably a a big reason why music is so emotional. Sound informs us about what to like and what to avoid in our environment. Music just kind of fools the brain.

snitko• 17 years ago

I highly recommend everyone, who's interested in music influence on humans read "Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain" http://www.amazon.com/Musicophilia-Tales-Music-Revised-Expan... It's full of great examples of medical cases, explanations and interesting theories.

Songs in the key of life: What makes music emotional?

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