Music can ignite any emotion or feeling, literally to the point where you can have chills. But why exactly does this happen? A new study recently published on Frontiers in Neuroscience: Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience may have found the answer.
While looking at brain activity, researchers in the study have found that specific waves increase in power when people get the chill from emotional pieces.
The study consisted of 18 participants and is built on past research suggesting music activates the brain’s pleasure centers. However, it is not very clear why music should have that kind of power.
Author Thibault Chabin spoke with publication Inverse about the current mystery about the power of music.
“What is intriguing with music is it seems to confer no biological value and has no value for survival,” he said. “We need to discover why music can be rewarding and can recruit an ancestral circuit dedicated to motivation and involved in survival function.”
Participants in the study were required to pick five songs ahead of time that they found gave them chills. In addition, scientists provided three neutral songs. Participants listened to the music with headphones as they sat back and closed their eyes. During this time, the scientists monitored their brain waves.
Scientists found that participants got the chills an average of 16.9 times each. The chilling moment lasted for about 8.75 seconds.
For more information on the study, make sure to visit here.
