Why Do Humans Like Music? (2018)

Why Do Humans Like Music?

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Why do we listen to music? This video discusses some of the reasons why humans enjoy music from an evolutionary standpoint and talks about how music affects the brain and our biology. This has been the subject of study and is critical to learning about human psychology and understanding humans and music. The way that the brain has evolved to respond to music is a big part of understanding the role of music in history as well. The uses of music for early humans have a strong basis in psychology and science of evolution.

[warsmith]

I’m surprised Vsauce hasn’t made a video on this yet

[bugjams]

Wow, that actually does make a lot of sense that we developed song before language. I watched many other videos on this topic, and as for why different people like different genres and types of music, I think that might come down to cultural upbringings and what the people around us listened to. After all if you agreed with the musical tastes of your family and friends, you’d get along better. That could explain how it evolved.
Another video I watched said they did a study that showed that everyone, even in remote villages, responded pretty much the same to very basic musical melodies, as in a “sad” melody made most subjects feel sad, even if they were never told it was supposed to be sad. So even though we all like different genres, it seems we all respond the same to different “emotions” of music!

[BreadApologist]

Something Ive always wondered about music is its connections with stimuli. Take horror movie (creepy type) music such as the Dead Silence theme or Silent hills music, and then take christmas type music (in both cases just the instrumental versions). The themes from horror instill a very very different set of feelings and emotions than the christmas ones would. However, if you had a group of people who have never heard those types of music nor seen a horror or christmas movie....would they have a similar response to people who have seen those and thus assoicate the themes with the types of movies? If you were to show them a christmas movie but use horror tracks and vise versa, would they then associate the horror tracks with joy and excitment and the christmas tracks with fear and anxiety?

[latrabaja]

Your video really fascinated me. It might feel bad that you don't have that many views on videos you put lots of work in. But i really enjoyed it and hope this gives you some motivation :)

[shyannegrant]

How is no one interested in these things . . . I guess if you arent working with sound or music you wouldnt be...

[luizcadu]

Being able to feel a sweet taste led our ancestors to find foods rich in energy, and this helped their adaptation and survival.
Music involves several features that are crucial to communication, survival and understanding of the world. Every motor skill and coordination with a fellow human requires rhythm. Pitch is directly involved with emotions and intentions you're conveying with speech. Harmony is about the acoustic effect cause by simultaneous sound waves. These effects involve tension and release, something that is present in any kind of communication (storytelling). It's plausible that humans communicated through music before language was invented, but that's not even the point. The same way being able to find pleasure in foods that contain energy helped survival made us fitter for survival, being able to find pleasure in organized sound waves made us fitter for communication and comprehension of the world we live in.
After studying music for 30 years, as a professional musician, researcher and teacher, this is the closest I could get to answering this question: why do we like music?

[abhishekchoudhary]

First reference of music is found in "samveda"

[scruffles]

Makes sense we made music before language, as there are far more animals that make/communicate with music than there are ones with complex "language" and even the ones that do have "language" also have music(most highly intelligent birds, porpoises, elephants, ect.)
But another thing music IS communication through sound and for most animals its the most complex and indepth form of it, and we humans who are reliant on communication are going to obviously love it.
It's also why some animals seem to be so interested in music and why 99% of those animals who show interest usually have some form of auditory communication

[JackSparrow-reql]

The idea that music came before language is intriguing, but I highly doubt it. Monkeys don't sing to each other when danger appears, even howling isn't exactly singing or music.

It's more likely the real reason we like music is because every musical composition, song etc is a resolution of conflict. Music, like a story has a beginning, climax and end; the only difference being; its more emotionally evocative because it doesn't pin itself down with specific characters, events etc. Music is more universal because its flexible; it resonates with what you personally feel inside you.

[melpomene-odwh]

wow i hope this guy still makes videos

[lmi]

I dont buy it, there has to be other reasons for liking music other than "experience&feelings". Beside your taste in music can change even if your feelings does not.. its like no surprise that pop music is in what.. 120-140 BPM? because its easy to digest but after a while that can get boring. Its like solving the same math problem over and over, you want harder or diffrent problems.

[someone.]

I'm watching this beacuase I have maladaptive daydreaming and I listen to music to make stories and stuff, and want to find out why normal people listen to it

[jeffhuffman]

Nope. It's the birds. The singing of birds tells us that winter is over; we survived, the fruit and vegetables will grow, the animals we hunt will reproduce and hopefully we live for another year. Have you ever heard a bird sing off key?

[melpomene-odwh]

actually watched the video, the guy is pretty funny ngl

[dtxbygNooN]

High pitch grown means yes 👍🏾
Low pitch grown means no👎🏽
Cave man language

[radicalsniperhdradi]

I know it's been years but do you have links to your sources? I would love to look them over

[patahuete]

Thanks ! I'm using it for my homework, it is easily understandable ! ^^

[calvinnovoaruiz]

We would greatly benefit if you share your sources about the old flute. It is very interesting!

[mrduuud]

Why does research only look at the brain and not the heart?

[trevordoeringer]

Did a podcast on this topic! Very interesting video...wish I had seen it before we did our episode. check it out on the apple podcast... Mic Dropping: with Mike and Trev