Welcome to the 163rd insertion of DEMUR®, an analytical series highlighting the intricacies of the artistic world and the minutiae lying within. In this episode we tune in and drop out, exploring music’s vast library and unanswered mysteries without missing a beat.
Music is essential to all walks of life. Melodies follow us throughout the day, filling the car on the drive to work, spilling under the lunchroom’s chatter and above the grocery store’s checkout counter, but why do we even listen to it? Subtly arising as we transcended into a total digital overhaul in which music became more accessible than ever, the abstract medium now dominates our day-to-day lives yet lacks any explanation.
Rode as a muse for success, infamy, and wealth, music at its core retains an unusual trait in the brain. What we know only leads to further debate, and what we don’t know has been perplexing experts for decades. Truthfully, our ignorance lies in an understanding of the mind itself - the way it functions, interprets and reacts, but from our basic comprehension, music works in a highly unique manner. Given such parameters, theories of why we enjoy music have amassed notoriety in the scientific community, providing a rough explanation for such a complex premise.
The first and most popular theory is found in man’s innate love for patterns. Easing the psyche of unexpected action, repetition allows our primal brains to learn, providing insight as to why our highest dopamine releases occur after a song’s buildup and subsequent peak. The idea makes sense at face value, but fails to explain why we developed such intimacy towards music in the first place. Why does an amalgamation of sound reflect positive chemical releases if it doesn’t impact attributes of survival?
One theory rumours that music’s pitch range may mimic our interpretation of emotion in speech. Higher vocals usually result in positive feelings such as excitement, whereas lower notes indicate assertion. In relation to music, the happiest one’s voice can project is emphasized 100x by a trumpet or horn, explaining the ethereal feeling produced.
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