Brain researchers Why do we show positive emotions when listening to our favorite music?

Music seems to have an evolutionary origin
Certain substances are associated in the human brain with perceived pleasure. Not only do these substances play an important role in sexual intercourse and drug use, they also seem to determine our feelings when listening to our favorite song. Researchers found that the response to certain music seems to have an evolutionary origin.

Researchers at McGill University in Canada found in an investigation that messengers in the human brain are associated with the pleasure that some people experience when listening to music. These messengers are usually associated with the pleasure that consumers of drugs experience in using them. The physicians publish the results of their study in the scientific journal "Scientific Reports".

Music is known to change our mood. But does music also affect our body directly? Almost everyone likes to listen to music and most of them probably have some so-called favorite songs. Experts now found that the release of feelings in music could have an evolutionary origin. (Image: DeshaCAM / fotolia.com)

Why do we feel emotions while listening to our favorite songs??
Music usually triggers the same reaction in the brain as sex, drugs and some foods. However, when researchers blocked a normally released messenger substance in their study, sufferers show no more positive response to listening to their favorite song. From this the experts concluded that music has an evolutionary origin. Nevertheless, the exact purpose remains a mystery, say the experts.

Music is one of the first human experiences
Music is one of the key elements of humanity, explain the authors. Music is played on almost every occasion in the lives of people, including birthdays, religious ceremonies, weddings and sporting events. It is also known that mothers from all cultures sing for their newborns. So you could say that music is one of the first human experiences, the scientists add.

Opioids are involved in our musical joy
The neurological basis, as we understand music, is already known. However, it is unknown why an emotional reaction is triggered by music in humans. However, McGill University experts have found that music uses the same messengers and ways of rewarding as do drugs, intercourse and some foods. This result is the first demonstration that opium of the human brain are directly involved in the musical joy, explains author Daniel Levitin.

Subjects had to specify two special pieces of music for them
For their study, the researchers asked all participants to name two pieces of music that triggered intense emotions in them. It did not matter if these feelings were happiness or sadness. The experts then mapped the areas in the brain that were activated by listening to the music. This allowed them to determine exactly the effects of music on the so-called opiod system.

Administered medication is usually used in addiction disorders
Subjects took a drug during the study that temporarily blocked certain chemical compounds (opioids) in the brain, say the doctors. These opioids usually activate the so-called amusement center in the human brain. The same drug is also used to treat addictions. Opioids trigger friends in the brain, so behaviors associated with their release may well lead to addiction or addiction, the researchers explain.

After taking the drug, subjects showed other emotional reactions
Participants were asked after taking the medication that they explained their feelings and sensations when listening to their favorite songs, the researchers report. It quickly became clear that the subjects no longer showed the same emotional reactions. The felt impressions after the experiment were fascinating, say the authors of the study. For example, the subjects stated that they were aware that they were listening to their favorite song, but the song somehow did not feel that way. Other subjects stated that the music sounded pretty, but did not trigger emotions or feelings among them.

Participants react to their favorite songs as to neutral music
The researchers said they found a significant decrease in the difference between the response to pleasing and neutral music among the participants. This effect was triggered by taking the medication. Opioids are involved in all emotional changes, be it positive change or negative change, explain the scientists.

Further research is needed
The fact that listening to music triggers a well-defined neurochemical reaction suggests an evolutionary origin for music, the authors explain. Nevertheless, it should be careful and not overestimate these results. More research will be needed to better explain this effect, say the doctors. Maybe music has evolved to use an existing reward system that was actually created for other purposes. (As)