In a concert, members of the audience can respond emotionally to music, owing to their biological synchronization to the audio input. However, the mechanism underlying this biological response is unclear. Now, a pioneering study has found that music-induced heart-rate synchronization is highly correlated within an individual, compared to between two randomly selected individuals. It has been determined that individual differences in cognition reduce the consistency in physiological responses and affect synchronization ..read more

A new study has compared the amount of music and speech that children hear in infancy. Results showed that infants hear more spoken language than music, with the gap widening as the babies get older ..read more

Music and speech are among the most frequent types of sounds we hear. But how do we identify what we think are differences between the two? An international team of researchers mapped out this process through a series of experiments -- yielding insights that offer a potential means to optimize therapeutic programs that use music to regain the ability to speak in addressing aphasia ..read more

Are acoustic features of music and spoken language shared across cultures? Researchers recorded themselves performing traditional music and speaking in their native language. In all 50+ languages, the rhythms of songs and instrumental melodies were slower than those of speech, while the pitches were higher and more stable ..read more

Music holds an important place in human culture, and we've all felt the swell of emotion that music can inspire unlike almost anything else. But what is it exactly about music that can bring on such intense sensations in our minds and bodies? A new study has insight from studies that systematically examine the way perception of unique musical chords elicits specific bodily sensations and emotions ..read more

A new neuroimaging study reveals how the brain gets to the creative flow state ..read more

How does listening to live music affect the emotional center of our brain? A study has found that live performances trigger a stronger emotional response than listening to music from a device. Concerts connect performers with their audience, which may also have to with evolutionary factors ..read more

The tone and tuning of musical instruments has the power to manipulate our appreciation of harmony, new research shows. The findings challenge centuries of Western music theory and encourage greater experimentation with instruments from different cultures ..read more

Three-quarters of people age 50 to 80 say music helps them relieve stress or relax and 65% say it helps their mental health or mood, according to a recent poll. Meanwhile, 60% say they get energized or motivated by music. Virtually all (98%) said they benefit in at least one health-related way from engaging with music ..read more

A new study has shown that music evokes similar emotions and bodily sensations around the world ..read more