Discovering the Roots of Your Musical Taste

  As you listen to music on the train or your walk home, have you ever wondered why some songs stand out to you? One might wonder why there are certain types of music we dislike, while there are some songs that we find incredible. To get a better understanding of this relationship, many scientists are learning more about how our brain responds to music. So far, they have discovered that the “feel-good” hormone known as dopamine is released when enjoyable music is played.

 Knowing how our brain reacts to music requires an understanding of the complex process of sound perception through the auditory system. When sound waves enter the ear, they bend the sensory hair cells along the insides of the ear. These hair cells lie on the basilar membrane, a structure in the inner ear, and each cell is connected to a nerve fiber, which sends precise frequencies into the brain. The bending of hair cells allows ions to convert the physical movement into an electrochemical signal. The stimulated hair cells excite the auditory nerve, which then sends electrical signals to the brainstem. These signals are then sent to the thalamus, which is the brain’s relay station for sensory information. Then, they are sent to the auditory cortex, which stores every sound that a person has ever heard. However, just like memories, it is possible to forget these sounds if they are not encountered again. Although it is hard to quantify the storage capacity of the auditory cortex, it is capable of retaining many sounds throughout a person’s lifetime.

In an experiment conducted by the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, researchers investigated how the auditory cortex communicates with the nucleus accumbens, which is associated with feelings of reward and pleasure. In the study, participants listened to 60 excerpts of songs they had never heard of before. Scientists used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which measures blood flow in the brain, to observe brain activity. They found that when people listened to unfamiliar music, their brains worked to determine whether they liked the music or not, indicated by the activity in the nucleus accumbens. When activity in this brain region occurred, participants with higher brain activity were willing to spend more money on the music they were listening to. It is noteworthy that the nucleus accumbens works with the auditory cortex, as researchers observed that the more a person liked the piece of music they heard, the more activity happened between the nucleus accumbens and the auditory cortex. Dr. Robert Zatorre, who was involved in the study, concluded that while music initially consists of a series of sounds that have no meaning, arranging them in patterns over time can make music rewarding for people. Each participant who ended up purchasing music had similar brain activity, although they bought different genres of music. This shows how different sounds appeal to different individuals since the auditory cortex is unique to everyone. 

In a similar study, neuroscientist Valorie Salimpoor conducted an experiment using fMRI while participants listened to the first 30 seconds of unfamiliar songs. After that, they were given the chance to buy the song and place bids for the song between $0 to $2. It was found that the more money a participant was willing to spend, the more dopamine was released during the song. This illustrates how the pleasure center is activated when individuals hear music they enjoy. Salimpoor discovered that musical memory templates consist of past music that individuals have heard based on previous experiences. Thus, our brains can predict how a song will make us feel depending on its similarity to previous music we’ve heard. When we hear a similar style of music, our reward pathways are reactivated, which explains why when an individual hears a style of music they’ve never heard, the chances they will enjoy it the first time they hear it is low.

Current research indicates that our musical preferences are shaped by our personal values, personality traits, and thinking styles. In a 2003 study, researchers mapped 14 genres of music into four factors and placed participants into groups based on their music preferences. For example, one factor, called “reflective and complex,” consisted of blues, classical, folk, and jazz genres. The other factors were called “intense and rebellious,” “upbeat and conventional,” and
“energetic and rhythmic.” These musical dimensions were related to personality dimensions as they found that people who fell into the same music preference factor shared striking similarities in personalities and values. An example of this is when people in the upbeat and conventional factor, which included country, pop, and religious genres, all tended to be extroverted, while those in the reflective and complex factor tended to be intelligent and emotionally stable. 

The music that one prefers is influenced by the early years of our lives. During a baby’s first six months of life, they are able to notice the rhythm and syntax of any song that is played to them. After these few months, however, this ability is limited as they are subject to inculturation where the adults in a child’s life will impose their own taste in music on their child. The music styles heard early on provide a sense of comfort as they become a part of who an individual is. Studies have shown that around the age of 30, people tend to stop actively seeking out new music, instead gravitating back to the music they listened to in their youth. A recent study published in Music and Science found that songs from one’s youth are often linked to positive memories and experiences from that time. These findings explain why people tend to derive more pleasure listening to music from their own era more than from any other time period. 

Understanding why we like certain music helps us understand the connection between our brains and the songs we enjoy. This link is influenced by our brain's pathways, personal experiences, and the music we hear in our youth, making music personal and emotional for us. By looking at the recent findings, we can understand why some songs stand out to us and why our music tastes change over time. Next time you’re listening to your favorite song, think about how your previous experiences and brain activity all come together to make the sound special for you.