Music is a matter of taste. But we are also easily influenced. In order to find out when we like music, researchers stimulated a certain region of the brain.
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Whether we think music is good or bad is of no use. Nevertheless, the brain provides nerve circuits to find music good or bad, says neuroscientist Henning Beck.
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Researchers from Montreal have conducted a study to determine whether we like music depending on which region of the brain is currently active. “They did a very nice experiment, they played nice music to the participants,” says Henning Beck. Rather, music that the researchers classified as “beautiful”. The experiment should show whether the participants also find the music “beautiful”.
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The reward area in the brain determines the taste in music
They measured this sensation with a brain scanner in which the test subjects lay and listened to music. At the same time, the researchers activated very specific brain regions with magnetic fields and, depending on which was active, they liked one or the other music better.
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“I would probably like Taylor Swift better if a certain area of my brain was stimulated.”
Henning Beck, neuroscientist
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In the experiment, the researchers stimulated the sleeping core or nucleus accumbens of the test subjects. He is involved in triggering positive feelings of reward. When this region is activated, we like music better. From this it can also be concluded that if we like music, then this region is active.
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“The co-sleeping core is the all-round reward area in the brain, no matter what we like.”
Henning Beck, neuroscientist
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This co-sleeping core is always active, regardless of whether we are eating chocolate, reading a good book or listening to nice music, says Henning Beck. The region is particularly well networked with the music areas in the brain and kicks in when we hear great music. So if you want to get away from the chocolate feed, you can reward yourself with your favorite music instead.
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Composers use good mood patterns
There are musicians who try to compose exactly the kind of music that puts people in a good mood in order to be more successful with it. “Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart already did that,” says Henning Beck. But the neuroscientist adds: Pieces in minor and not just in major are also perceived as beautiful.
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