A good question: What happens to your brain when you hear your favourite song?
We all know the feeling: a tingle, a shiver, an unconscious need to move. These are all physiological reactions to hearing a favourite song.
But what exactly is happening here? MusicThinkTank reports:
Maybe it’s by the Beatles. Maybe it’s by Bieber. Maybe it’s by a local reggae band you listened to on your honeymoon in Jamaica. Whatever your favorite song, it only takes about a second for you to hear that first chord. Then, you’re immediately reaching for the dial to turn it up as loud as possible. Yet, while you know that your top jam gives you all the feels, did you also know that it elicits a specific chemical reaction in your brain? That could be why you find your feet dancing along by the pedal and your fingers playing dashboard guitar every time “Sweet Child of Mine” wafts through the radio waves.
A recent study found that our brains all react the same when our personal favorite song comes on. During the study, researchers monitored reactions as participants listened to a playlist of music that spanned myriad musical genres from soundtracks and stock music to big band tunes and old-time jazz. Buried within there was the song they had selected as their all-time favorite. Interestingly, the participants’ tastes were wildly varied. Some preferred the Notorious B.I.G. Some loved the Goo Goo Dolls. Some even listed a tune by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the top of their list. Still, what happened when those tunes came on?
Thanks to Kieran for this graphic.
