Ongoing History Daily: Amusia

You might have a friend who just isn’t into music. They might even find music annoying. This is a genuine medical condition called “amusia.”

This happens when the brain can’t process or recognize pitch, melody, or rhythm. The brain hears the music but it doesn’t know what to do with it. There are two types of amusia: a congenital version and one that’s acquired after some kind of brain trauma, like a stroke. About 4% of the population has amusia.

To most with amusia, music is just sound, flat, emotionless, and pointless. It can be so severe that if just one note in a popular song is off, maybe out of tune, then that person might not be able to recognize the entire song.

So maybe your friend doesn’t just have no taste in music. It’s possible that their brains make it impossible to have any kind of taste in music.