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music

·June 4, 2025·5 min read

Nostalgic Tunes Trigger Stronger Urge to Dance Than Familiar Hits

A new study reveals that nostalgia plays a powerful role in making us want to dance, even more so than familiarity with a song alone. Researchers asked young adults to rate how much various pop hits made them want to tap, move, or dance, as well as how nostalgic and familiar the songs felt.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 29, 2025·7 min read

Singing to Infants Boosts Mood and Bonding

A new randomized study found that when parents sing more frequently to their infants, both babies and caregivers experience measurable improvements in mood and wellbeing. The study involved 110 caregiver-infant pairs who participated in a four-week music enrichment intervention via smartphone.

This shows a person wearing headphones and a brain.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 18, 2025·4 min read

How Music Can Emotionally Reshape Your Memories

A new neuroscience study reveals that music can alter the emotional content of our memories when played during recollection. Participants who listened to emotionally charged music while recalling neutral stories later remembered those stories with emotional tones matching the music.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·May 9, 2025·5 min read

Using Music to Detect Concussion in Kids

A new music therapy-based tool called MuSICCA may transform how healthcare teams assess consciousness in children with severe brain injuries. Developed to address the lack of reliable diagnostic methods for children aged 2 to 18, MuSICCA uses tailored live music performed by a therapist to evoke and record patient responses.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 4, 2025·4 min read

Music Mindfulness Eases Anxiety and Depression

Mindfulness exercises paired with music were found to engage both neural and cardiac systems, potentially reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. A recent study showed that live and virtual music mindfulness sessions lowered stress and altered states of consciousness, though only live sessions fostered social connection.

Featured Neuroscience

·May 3, 2025·3 min read

Your Brain and Body Literally Sync to Music

A new international study supports Neural Resonance Theory (NRT), which suggests that music perception and enjoyment arise from natural brain and body oscillations that sync with rhythm, melody, and harmony. Unlike prediction-based models, NRT proposes that our brains physically resonate with music, shaping timing, pleasure, and the instinct to move.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 30, 2025·5 min read

Dance and Lullabies May Not Be Human Universals After All

New research challenges the long-held belief that dance and lullabies are universal to human culture. Drawing on over four decades of ethnographic work among the Northern Aché people in Paraguay, researchers found no evidence of group dancing or infant-directed singing.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 27, 2025·4 min read

Why Music Offers an Emotional Lifeline During Crises

A new study reveals that people worldwide turn to song lyrics as emotional anchors during crises, such as the COVID-19 lockdowns. Researchers found that lyrical themes—like loss, belonging, and reflection—played a far greater role in emotional coping than the music’s tempo or harmony.

This shows a woman in headphones and a brain.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·April 16, 2025·4 min read

Music-Induced “Chills” Trigger Natural Opioids in the Brain

Listening to favorite music activates the brain’s opioid system, which is involved in feelings of pleasure and pain relief, according to a new PET imaging study. Researchers found that music-induced “chills” are linked to the release of natural opioids in key brain areas.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Psychology

·April 16, 2025·4 min read

From Anxiety to Alzheimer’s, Music Makes a Difference

Music therapy is proving to be a powerful adjunct treatment for a range of conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, chronic pain, movement disorders, and mental health issues. Research highlights how music can regulate heart rate, reduce anxiety, and even improve communication in patients with memory loss.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·April 15, 2025·4 min read

Why Nostalgic Songs Spark the Brain’s Memory and Reward System

Listening to nostalgic music activates key brain regions tied to memory and emotion, according to a new brain imaging study. Researchers found that songs linked to personal memories engage both the default mode network and the brain's reward circuitry.

This shows people listening to music at an office.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 7, 2025·6 min read

Music Choice Can Harm Productivity

A new study shows that background music in workplaces can harm employee mood, energy, and job performance when it doesn’t match individual needs. This "music misfit" effect leads to mental fatigue, decreased focus, and even counterproductive behaviors. The negative impact is especially pronounced for workers who struggle to ignore background stimuli, known as non-screeners.