From simple folksongs to the complex sound of a symphony
orchestra, music has been created by every known society. Almost every pivotal
event in life can be signposted with music, whether it’s a joyful occasion like
a wedding or a sad one such as a funeral. Music, which consistently emerges in
surveys as the most popular form of art, can be used not only to tap into an
emotion a person is already feeling, but to manipulate it in a powerful way. Yet
the existence of music mystifies scientists. It is not a primary means of
communication, the only species to make musical instruments, music does not
seem to help us to live longer or pass on our genes more efficiently. So what
purpose does it serve?
A flute was not a sophisticated instrument – in fact, it had
a range of less than one octave – but it was an instrument nonetheless. Cavemen
used the instrument to attract prospective mates. Although some psychologists
feel this is somewhat feeble and doesn’t really explain why a cavewoman should
find a caveman flautist more appealing than a tone-deaf rival, the question
remains. After all, something must explain why our ancestors were creating
music 200,000 years ago.
Psychologists are united in one belief – that music speaks
to the heart. What is more, the evidence that music elicits emotion is
startlingly direct. Certain pieces of music induce physiological changes in the
body that correspond to certain emotions. “Sad” pieces caused the pulse to
slacken, the blood pressure to rise and the temperature to drop, which is
exactly what happens when a sense of sadness sets in. “Happy” songs did the
opposite, including a cheery feeling. Somehow, music can tap into sensitive
emotional circuits.
Music has all the hallmarks of an adaptive behaviour,
meaning it was a factor in selecting a mate. It is universal across cultures,
and kids are motivated spontaneously to learn how to play music around the age
of puberty.
Musical talent can indicate many desirable qualities in a
mate: the mental competence to learn notes and lyrics; the social intelligence
required to be part of an orchestra and co-operate, literally harmoniously with
other people; creativity and energy. But just because musical competence may
have once signaled a good mate doesn’t necessarily mean that every modern woman
is searching for that quality – human beings have come to differ in their preferences.
While girls listened to influence their mood, boys used
music as a way of impressing their friends. Boys seem to like rock and rap
because it shows how cool, trendy and macho they are. Boys use music as a badge
of identity, it’s a way of telling people about who they are. An individual’s
choice of music directly influences attractiveness. Music has evolved as a
mechanism for mate selection.
However, compared with language, vision, social reasoning and
physical know-how, music could vanish from our species and the rest of our
lifestyle would be virtually unchanged.
So if music confers no survival advantage, why does it
exist? It is called “auditory cheesecake”, a confection of sounds put together
to tickle faculties that our brain already possesses. Songs with lyrics appeal
to a brain already attuned to language; the ear is sensitive to harmonies, and
sounds in the natural world, such as birdsong and even thunder, echo such
harmonies; we derive pleasure from patterns and rhythm, and repetitive sounds
appeal to the ear in the same way that a repeated doodle appeals to the eye.
But how does music “move” us? Loud music stimulates a part
of the inner ear called the sacculus, which is connected to the hypothalamus,
the brain’s “pleasure centre”. This could explain why music is so evocative. Interestingly,
the sacculus exists only in fish and human beings (it came from a common
ancestor). That might shed light on why human beings alone attach such
importance to making music. The sacculus responds only to music, rather than
any other form of sound, inspires such delight.
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