Introduction

Music is an essential part of our lives: it fills our time and our souls, it dictates our playlists, and it speaks to our emotions and innermost thoughts and feelings. Music motivates us to work, to play, to get serious, to be happy. Music has gripped humanity since the beginning of time — from lullabies and hymns, to prayers and celebrations, from dance halls and corner cafes, to night clubs and radio shows. Music has grown, evolved and revolutionized; it has rallied and influenced people and movements; it has sparked love and hate and everything in between. Now, music is a multi-billion dollar industry that extends to every corner of an increasingly globalized world. Undeniably, music is intrinsically tied to mankind and to the very core of living and existing. So, why does music have this influence?

What happens chemically?

Part of the appeal of music comes from its chemical mimicry of pleasurable acts like sex and eating. Biologically and evolutionarily, listening to music can be as enjoyable as eating a chocolate cake or experiencing a runner’s high. When music passes through the ear, it transforms from wave energy, to mechanical energy and finally to chemical energy. The brain receives the chemical signals and triggers the release of dopamine in its reward centers. From a chemical point of view, music has addictive qualities.

Interestingly, the most dopamine release occurs before the song’s musical climax. Our brains respond most readily to sounds that stray from the melodic pattern, sounds that are unpredictable and novel. After all, recognizable patterns are boring and sometimes even irritating (like an alarm clock or a TV jingle for fast food). This is because dopamine neurons quickly adapt to predictable stimuli — your brain habituates, and it becomes more difficult to achieve a comparable high to the first time you heard the musical sequence.

When the beat drops and all the built up anticipation boils over, the emotional release is the greatest. The brain, starved of the melodic pattern that all other patterns in the song closely mimic but don’t quite duplicate, finally gets what it wants.

Music invokes within us a human need for order and clarity among confusion and struggle. When we listen to music, we strive to resolve broken patterns and ride the ups and downs of the composer or producer’s methodic narrative.

What happens physically?

Along with the psychological effects of dopamine release comes the immediate physical impacts. The pupils dilate, heart rate increases and blood is pumped to the muscles. The cerebellum, responsible for controlling bodily movement, becomes hyperactive. People often tap their feet or bob their head subconsciously to music, often entraining their movements with the bass notes that make up the song’s rhythm.

What happens cognitively?

Another reason music is so compelling is due to how our brains process music. Tunes have beginnings and ends, and since they always come in complete packages, we remember music by recalling their accompanying notes. When we hear the words of a song that’s been played repeatedly, we immediately recall the rest of the musical phrase.

Similar to the way our brain activity oscillates with the cadence of a person’s speech, it naturally syncs up with the rhythm of a song. The brain is more sensitive to deviations in low notes than high notes, explaining why the rhythm sections of musical styles around the world rely on bass, drums and lower tones to set patterns.

With high notes, the brain cannot differentiate between deviations and the standard melody as easily. This explains why blaring guitar solos and loud saxophone leads are more acceptable to our ears than offbeat bass guitars or drums.

What happens emotionally?

Hearing a certain song can immediately draw up powerful emotions. Music can remind us of a specific time or place, triggering powerful memories. This is part of the reason why music is so important to us emotionally and culturally.