The Science of Music & Emotion

What is it about music that evokes such emotion?

Haven’t we all wanted to listen to a sad song when we’re sad, or that breakup song after a break up? What is it about music that taps so deeply into our emotions?

Pythagoras (569-475bc), some call ‘the father of music’, was the first person to prescribe music as medicine. He stated each body produces its own unique sound on account of its movement, rhythm or vibration. Pythagoras’ theory was that different musical modes have different effects on the person who hears them. He believed that if correctly utilized, music can bring the faculties of the soul into harmony, compose and purify the mind, and even heal the physical body. Now, music-medicine research is making effective use of music to reduce fear and anxiety in surgical and pain patients. Experiments show that hearing music affects the biochemistry of the blood, which in turn may cause affective changes. The use of modulated music, like with the Safe and Sound Protocol, promotes social engagement and regulation of the nervous system. The use of personalized music playlists for dementia patients and Parkinson’s patients has proven a useful tool in activities of daily living.

We use our auditory cortex and frontal lobes when listening to music. That activates the mirror neurons that activate the limbic system in our brains. A mirror neuron is a neuron that fires both when someone acts and when someone observes the same action performed by another. The limbic system is the part of the brain involved in our behavioral and emotional responses. A good example of this, ever gotten goosebumps or teary from hearing a song?

The limbic system is also where we store long-term memory. This is the basis for the Music & Memory program. The Music & Memory program is a personalized music playlist for individuals with cognitive and physical conditions. There are growing indications that those who study music, particularly beginning at an early age, show neurological differences compared to those who have not had such training. Brain imaging data demonstrates that the primary auditory cortex in the left hemispheres of musically trained subjects is larger than that of untrained subjects [2].

More and more studies show, music affects many areas of the brain, not only the frontal lobes but the amygdala, the hippocampus, the hypothalamus and the putamen are activated. Each of these play a significant role in our well-being.

• The amygdala processes and triggers emotion.

• The hippocampus produces and retrieves memories.

• The hypothalamus helps maintain the body’s homeostasis.

• The putamen enables the left and right hemispheres of the brain to communicate, allowing for coordinated body movement as well as complex thoughts that require both hemispheres.

Listening to music also increases the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine is the pleasure chemical in our brains. Playing music with others or enjoying live music stimulates the brain hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin, the ‘love’ chemical, helps us bond with and trust others.

Music is language. We even say it's a “universal language,” but it's more than that, it is the language of emotion. New research from Harvard University [1] shows that music carries a set of unique codes and patterns, which are in fact universally understood. The findings show that by analyzing a song’s acoustic features, such as tonality, ornamentation and tempo, it’s possible for people to understand its meaning, regardless of its cultural background.

All this science can be confusing, but with so much evidence it's no wonder music has such an impact on us. The impact is far greater than that of only our emotions.

Music can:

• Change your ability to perceive time

• Reduce stress

• Reduce pain

• Tap into primal fear

• Reduce seizures

• Make you a better communicator

• Boost your immune system

• Assist in repairing brain damage

• Make you smarter

• Evoke memories

• Help Parkinson’s patients

• Help patients with dementia

The next time you hear a song that gives you goosebumps or brings tears to your eyes, maybe take a moment and remember all the ways that song engaged your brain and body.

1. Asprou, (2020) Music is a universal language, Harvard University study. Classic FM

2. Rosalie Pratt and Ralph Spintge, MusicMedicine, vol. 2 (St. Louis, Missouri: MMB Music, 1996);

Ralph Spintge and Roland Droh, MusicMedicine, vol. 1 (St. Louis, Missouri: MMB Music, 1992).