Chemical romance: Our favourite music can trigger the same reaction in us as good food, money or sex
It may be the chorus of a pop song or the slow movement of a symphony... we all know that our favourite pieces of music make us feel good.
But scientists have now unravelled how they do it. They say a best-loved aria or guitar riff can trigger the same chemical reaction in us as good food, money or sex.
The pleasure experience is driven by the brain chemical dopamine which helps nerve cells transmit signals to each other.
It produces physical effects known as ‘chills’ such as changes in heart rate, breathing and temperature, as well as how the skin conducts electricity.
All are signs of enjoyment and can be scientifically measured.
A team at McGill University in Montreal gave volunteers brain scans while they listened to music.
They found that during ‘peak emotional arousal’ regions of the brain linked to pleasure released dopamine.
At the same time, the effect of the music was reflected in ‘chills’ measurements.
The researchers said in the journal Nature Neuroscience that their work may explain why musical experiences are so valued and why music ‘can be effectively used in rituals, marketing or film’.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, a biochemical that helps nerve cells transmit signals to each other.
It provides the 'feel good' experience associated with enjoyable food, money, sex and certain recreational drugs.
The research showed that dopamine release was greatest when listeners had a strong emotional response to music.
Dopamine is 'pivotal for establishing and maintaining behaviour,' the scientists pointed out.
They added: 'If music-induced emotional states can lead to dopamine release, as our findings indicate, it may begin to explain why musical experiences are so valued.
'These results further speak to why music can be effectively used in rituals, marketing or film to manipulate hedonic states.
'Our findings provide neurochemical evidence that intense emotional responses to music involve ancient reward circuitry and serve as a starting point for more detailed investigations of the biological substrates that underlie abstract forms of pleasure.'
No comments:
Post a Comment