Thread by @realscientists

Alright, so now that we've gotten to know each other a bit, LET'S TALK ABOUT MUSIC.

What does it mean to study music *scientifically*

For this, we're back to cake. Music, like cake, has laaaaaaaaaaaayers

Music is sound (which, itself, has laaaaaaayers), but it also has visual, tactile/physical, emotional, creative, and communicative components.

Combining all of these laaaayers into a single experience, like listening to or playing a piece of music, requires a lot of brain activity
...but the neat thing is, it doesn't require a lot of expertise!

We're exposed to sound very early (like in the womb early) and are constantly exposed to music (lullabies, nursery rhymes, ads, radios, neighbours who insist on late-night karaoke parties, etc)

Even if you're not a trained musician, you can probably tap your foot along with a song on the radio, which, itself is pretty sophisticated brain-wise.

You have to notice the pattern in the music, predict it, and coordinate that prediction with your leg and foot. Amazing!!

Music is fun, but it's also an important part of many people's lives, and understanding something so ubiquitous is important. Think about social aspects of music and how you can bond with someone over music you love...

...or music you both HATE.

My background is in music therapy, and I worked in adult, forensic, and geriatric mental health for a few years before going to graduate school.

Most of my clients were non-verbal, but they could still communicate with music (we'll talk about this more later in the week). I was curious why music lasted so long into neurodegenration, and decided to check it out.

(I'm currently in year 6 of "checking it out"...this was not as straightforward as I thought, which is to say, research)

I wanted to study the brain because there's a lot going on in there when it comes to music and it doesn't rely on verbal assessment tools, which are the most common. To give you an idea, here are known brain areas active during music listening:

(paper here for the nerds: becs.aalto.fi/bml/pdf/Alluri…)

And regions active during music improvisation:

Here's one of my aspirational science friends (in that I REALLY think his work is cool and we should be friends), Charles Lim, talking about improv, INCLUDING FREESTYLE RAP:

Some *excellent* papers here:
journals.plos.org/plosone/articl…
journals.plos.org/plosone/articl…
nature.com/articles/srep0…

Another point is that music makes us feel feelings, including *tingly feelings*. This involved the limbic system, a sub-cortical (below the surface layer) network that releases dopamine (aka *tingly neurotransmitters*)

Poll: Should we change "dopamine" to "tingly neurotransmitters"

Some people get actual chills listening to music, which is when your brain anticipates a bit in the music, it almost happens, your brain is like "THIS IS IT. THIS IS THE BEST PART." and hits you with dopamine
nature.com/articles/nn.27…

Your limbic system during your favourite music:

Activating the limbic system is VERY INTERESTING INDEED because this system is tied into our survival.

Also your limbic system:

Dopamine is a reward chemical and makes us feel nice. As such, it's usually saved for things that will keep us alive/ensure the survival of the species. Eating food you really like releases dopamine. So does seeeeeeeeeeeex.

And on the flipside, music can make us feel profoundly awful things. I don't wanna bring anything up, but I'm sure we all have Old Relationship Songs That We Don't Think About Anymore because they bring back painful memories and emotions.

But sometimes music helps us deal with this. Do you listen to sad songs when you're sad? Angry? When you need to gear up/calm down?

In this way, music can act as a mirror for our emotional states, and as a cue to change states. This doesn't always work amazingly, though:
theatlantic.com/health/archive…
(Also, shoutout to my ACTUAL REAL-LIFE FRIEND Emily Carlson, who is amazing)

But I got sidetracked. THE LIMBIC SYSTEM. It's ostensibly supposed to keep us alive, but it can be activated by non-survival inputs. Addiction is one such example.

Working in addictions was interesting because music can act as a cue for use and can trigger intense cravings. One of the common observations from clients in rehabilitation was how much it sucked not being able to listen to their music.

For them, music was a useful and neutral arena where they could express feelings in a way that was less threatening than talking, and it was really humbling to see someone confront their trigger songs and get them back.

But sidetracked again! Your questions are 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 and I LOVE it!

If the limbic system is responding to the brain like it's necessary for survival, could it be that we NEED music to survive?

Anywhoo, we'll let that marinate. I'm off to Skype the family, so I'll leave you with one of my favourites from @cuillinmusic. Swing back later for THE EVOLUTION OF MUSIC. It'll be a smash.