Why do we like music?
Music's Brain Trick
Why do we like music?
You press play, and suddenly your foot is tapping. A song you've never heard before makes you want to dance, or cry, or punch the air. Why does organized noise — because that's all music really is — grab us by the feelings and shake?
Your brain didn't evolve to understand music. There were no concerts in the Stone Age, no Spotify playlists while hunting mammoths. And yet every human culture ever discovered makes music. We sing to babies. We drum at celebrations. Music seems to hijack something deep in how our brains work.
