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music

·June 24, 2026·10 min read

Pop Music Echoes a Growing Culture of Vices

An extensive computational analysis of over 380,000 songs spanning 1960 to 2023 has revealed that popular music lyrics have become increasingly negative, showcasing a steady historical decline in language related to moral virtues like care and decency, alongside a marked rise in themes of harm, cheating, and anger.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 17, 2026·10 min read

Music Corrects the Brain’s “Glitched” Predictions

Group songwriting helps individuals with psychosis retrain their brain's "prediction" systems, leading to reduced paranoia and improved social connection.

This shows two people holding hands, musical notes, and two heads with brains.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 19, 2026·8 min read

Biological Link Between Music and Bonding Identified

Harmonious music physically "primes" the brain for social connection, explaining the ancient link between music and ritual.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 12, 2026·7 min read

Humans Are Born With a Biological Blueprint for Music

We are born to beat. New research confirms that musicality is a fundamental biological trait, not a cultural accident, predating language in human evolution.

This shows a woman listening to music while running on a treadmill.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 27, 2026·6 min read

Music May Not Boost Focus or Mood During Exercise

A major review finds that the mental boost we expect from listening to music while exercising is inconsistent and often disappears during intense workouts.

This shows a head made of musical notes.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience

·February 20, 2026·7 min read

We All Speak Music: The Brain’s Constant Search for Harmony

Your brain is a secret musical expert. New research shows that even without formal training, we all use deep musical context to predict the next note.

This shows the outline of a woman's head surrounded by wavy sound waves and dna.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·February 20, 2026·7 min read

Your DNA Might Be the Reason Music and Art Gives You Chills

A study of 15,500 people reveals that genetics account for 30% of why people experience "aesthetic chills" from music and art.

This shows the outline of a person's head wearing earphones. musical notes swirl around her.

Featured Neuroscience

·February 18, 2026·8 min read

Hacking Musical Chills: Triggering Peak Musical Pleasure

Hack your goosebumps. A new brain-music interface uses in-ear sensors to read your emotions and curate a playlist that guarantees peak "musical chills."

This shows an illustration of a violinist with a glowing light around their ear.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience

·February 17, 2026·6 min read

40% of Musicians Suffer from Tinnitus and Auditory Distress

A meta-analysis of 28,000 musicians finds that over 40% suffer from tinnitus, with high rates of hearing loss and hyperacusis across all musical genres.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 17, 2025·6 min read

Music Improvisation Rewires the Brain in Real Time

Creativity is notoriously difficult to study as it unfolds, but musical improvisation offers a rare chance to watch spontaneous idea-generation in action. In a new imaging study, researchers examined how 16 skilled jazz pianists’ brains reorganized while they played a familiar tune from memory, improvised around its melody, or freely improvised over its chord changes.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 18, 2025·6 min read

Eyes Blink in Time With Music, Revealing Hidden Brain Rhythms

New research shows that spontaneous eye blinks naturally sync to the beat of music, revealing a hidden form of auditory-motor synchronization that occurs even without conscious movement. In more than 100 participants listening to steady-tempo classical music, both blinks and brainwaves aligned with the rhythm, even when songs were played backward or replaced with tone-based beats.

This shows a woman running while listening to music.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 7, 2025·4 min read

Adaptive Music Tech Makes Workouts More Fun, Helps People Stay Active

Researchers have shown that adaptive music systems that adjust tempo and rhythm to match a user’s movement can make exercise significantly more enjoyable and motivating. These personalized interactive music systems use real-time data from wearables to keep music aligned with walking, cycling, or weightlifting intensity, helping users stay in rhythm and maintain effort.