Listening to Music After Surgery Lowers Pain and Anxiety

Summary: A new study suggests that listening to music after surgery can significantly reduce pain, anxiety, and even heart rate, aiding recovery. An analysis of 35 studies found that patients…

Is it bad to listen to music all the time? Here’s how tunes can help or harm

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. I like to listen to…

Pitch Perfect: Singing Earworms Reveals Surprising Trait

Summary: Researchers discovered that nearly 45% of people sing earworms in perfect pitch, suggesting a hidden “perfect pitch” ability in the general population. Even without formal musical training, participants accurately…

Classical Music Synchronizes Brain Waves, Improving Depression

Summary: Western classical music can significantly affect brain activity, particularly in people with treatment-resistant depression. By measuring brainwaves and neural imaging, scientists discovered that music synchronizes neural oscillations between brain…

How Music Synchronizes Heart Rates and Collective Emotions

Summary: Listening to music synchronizes heart rates within individuals more reliably than between different people. This synchronization depends on physiological responses rather than mood or music preferences. The findings help…

Unlocking Flow: The Neuroscience of Creative Bliss

Summary: A new study involving Philadelphia-area jazz guitarists, has explored the brain processes that enable creative flow. The research reveals that achieving flow requires a solid foundation of expertise, after…

The Power of Music on Cognitive Arousal

Summary: A new study explores the influence of personalized music on cognitive arousal and performance, drawing on the Yerkes-Dodson law’s inverted-U theory. The study used participants’ physiological and behavioral signals…

Harmony in Chaos: How BPD Influences Music Tastes

Summary: Recent research reveals that individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) exhibit distinct music preferences, favoring reflective and complex genres such as classical and jazz over intense, rebellious ones. The…

Imperfect Harmony: Rethinking Pythagoras’ Musical Consonance

Summary: New research challenges Pythagoras’s ancient theory on musical consonance, revealing our preference for slight imperfections in chords rather than the perfect integer ratios traditionally associated with beautiful music. The…

Live Music’s Unique Spark: A Brain’s Emotional Journey

Summary: Live music significantly amplifies emotional responses in the brain compared to recorded tunes. By measuring amygdala activity, researchers found that live performances evoke stronger emotional reactions, fostering a deeper…