Why We Are Touched By The Sound of MusicFrom simple folksongs to the complex sound of a sy
Why We Are Touched By The Sound of Music
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 merges 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's not a primary means of communication, unlike language. While human beings are 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？
Participants at the American Association or the Advancement of Science recently attended a performance of the kind of music Neanderthal man might have heard. Working from fragments of musical instruments found alongside Neanderthal relics in Slovenia in 1995, Dr Jelle Atema from Boston University crafted a flute from the 50,000-year-old leg-bone of a bear. His replica showed the flute was not a sophisticated instrument in fact, it had a range of less than one octave--but it was an instrument nonetheless. Dr Atema's guess is that 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. A Cornell University study showed recently that 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, inducing a cheery feeling. Somehow, music can tap into sensitive emotional circuits.
Geoffrey Miller, a scientist at University College, London, thinks it is clear that 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," says Dr Miller. He recently conducted an intriguing study of 3,000 jazz albums. The peak age of the performers was 30, and there were ten male performers for every one female. "That's the same age at which other cultural displays peak, such as painting, poetry and philosophy," Dr Miller points out.
Musical talent, he says, can indicate ninny 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 signalled 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.
Dr Adrian North, ,a music psychologist at I,eicester University, surveyed Staffordshire teenagers last year about what kind of music they listen to and why. "'lane findings were almost too stereotypical to be true," says Dr North. "While the girls listened to infiuence 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 you are." He also adds that an indivi
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