Saturday, October 18, 2014

What's the Deal with Music?

(I thought this was cute :))
Music transports the soul and captures the mind. Of all the things that catch my attention, music is my favorite. Often I wonder about what makes music so special; "how can a few rhythms and tones, coupled with notes and pitches cause so much emotion, bring back memories, or even change a person's mood?" (Observation Notes 10/14). As inexplicable as it seems to me, I decided to find out why we humans enjoy music to such an extent.

(I'm obsessed with gifs. Sorry ._.)
The brain, the most complex organ in our human body, seems to be the answer to most of my questions, but at the same time it's the answer to nothing.  This probably sounds confusing but, there is no known part of the brain specifically connected to processing music. Processing music actually uses multiple parts of the brain, with the temporal and frontal lobe of the brain working together, although it could be different for everyone (Mauk).

When listening to music, a chemical in our brains called dopamine is released. Dopamine, being a hormone associated with addictions to drugs, sex, love, and food, creates a sort of "reward system." Because of this "reward system," we associate certain music with certain things we expect, or past experiences (Ball). This might explain why I'm always so happy after my orchestra class. We've started playing Christmas themed songs and I might be associating the songs with presents and enjoyable past Christmases spent with family. "I've noticed I'm always in a good mood after this class, which is great since it's my very first period. I think it might be all because of the Christmas songs." (Observation Notes 10/16).

Whatever the reason, music is still a great mystery. Like, does music affect our behavior? Is it possible to become addicted to music from the levels of dopamine it releases? I have so many questions; questions I'll surely look into.

Works Cited
Ball, Philip. "Will we ever...understand why music makes us feel good?" 
        BBC. N.p. 19 Apr. 2013. Web. 18 Oct. 2014.
Mauk, Ben. "Why Do We Love Music?" livescience. N.p. 7 Feb. 2013. Web. 18 
        Oct. 2014


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5 comments:

  1. lfariasOctober 19, 2014 at 10:08 PM

    Wow. This is beautifully written and thought out. I know different kinds of music evoke different memories and emotions for me. Thanks for an outstanding blog.

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  2. UnknownOctober 23, 2014 at 6:49 PM

    I love music. I think there's a song for any moment or emotion you're feeling. I love playing music too, its even better than listening to it. I think one of my favorite things about music is how it's different for everyone. Like a heavy metal song for me would be relaxing, but for someone else they hate it. Music's unique and fits every personality. It's perfect.

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  3. ivette reyesOctober 23, 2014 at 8:29 PM

    Who doesn't love music! I mean I think that many of us enjoy different kinds of music that make us happy and show who we really are. A life without music wouldn't be a life at all. I love the blog by the way and your human brain :)

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  4. AnonymousOctober 24, 2014 at 8:34 AM

    This is beautiful Mabel. Have you ever found yourself unable to listen to a certain song because of the emotion it brings out of you? Someone recently told me that you know you've moved past someone or an impactful event when you can listen to a song that was connected to that person or event without turning it off, being sad, etc. It made me wonder if her statement was true, but I haven't tested it out yet. Awesome blog.

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  5. UnknownOctober 26, 2014 at 5:43 PM

    I love how you put your own questions in this. I think music really brings out our different emotions.(:

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