

Songs in the key of life: What makes music emotional? - wallflower
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18367-songs-in-the-key-of-life-what-makes-music-emotional.html

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discolemonade
I think the reason music makes us emotional goes beyond language. I think
music also taps into the Amygdala, which is the part of the brain that
regulates fear. There are certain sounds in nature that are scary or ominous.
Low sounds like the sound of thunder or the low bellow of a lion are scary
sounds in nature because they come from dangerous things. Things that make you
disappear. Being afraid of those sounds is an avoidance mechanism, I think.
People who avoided the things that created those sounds survived, therefore
natural selection must have played a role in why we find certain sounds
scary...or happy or whatever. It's possible to mimick those natural sounds
artificially through music. That's probably a a big reason why music is so
emotional. Sound informs us about what to like and what to avoid in our
environment. Music just kind of fools the brain.

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snitko
I highly recommend everyone, who's interested in music influence on humans
read "Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain"
[http://www.amazon.com/Musicophilia-Tales-Music-Revised-
Expan...](http://www.amazon.com/Musicophilia-Tales-Music-Revised-
Expanded/dp/1400033535/) It's full of great examples of medical cases,
explanations and interesting theories.

