I love music, don't you? Music can elicit so many emotions; anger, joy, sadness. It can make us just plain happy. Some humans, frogs too I suspect, get the chills when they listen to music. Have you ever had that happen? if so, your brain may be special.
In a recent study performed by Matthew Sachs, a Harvard undergraduate, brain scans were done on 20 students; 10 who got goosebumps (chills) when listening to music and 10 who did not. What he discovered was that the brain scans of those 10 students who had the physical and emotional connection to music were actually different from the other 10. Sachs' study showed that those 10 who got chills had a denser volume of fibers that connect their auditory cortex and areas that process emotions, meaning that the two can communicate better. Oxford Academic published his findings and the periodical Neuroscience quoted him saying, "The idea being that more fibers and increased efficiency between two regions mean that you have more efficient processing between them." In layman's terms that means if you get chills when listening to music, you are more likely to have stronger and more intense emotions. These sensations can then be associated with memories linked to a certain song which cannot be controlled in a laboratory setting.
Sachs is doing further research since his first study was small in size. These new work will focus on the brain's activity when listening to songs that register certain reactions. He is hoping to learn more about the neurological causes of these reactions and how to tap into these reactions, through music, as a treatment for certain psychological disorders. Because depression causes an inability to experience the pleasure of everyday things, therapists might be able to use music to help clients explore feelings.
I'd say this is pretty impressive work for an undergraduate! way to go Mr. Sachs!
"Music is what feelings sound like."
In a recent study performed by Matthew Sachs, a Harvard undergraduate, brain scans were done on 20 students; 10 who got goosebumps (chills) when listening to music and 10 who did not. What he discovered was that the brain scans of those 10 students who had the physical and emotional connection to music were actually different from the other 10. Sachs' study showed that those 10 who got chills had a denser volume of fibers that connect their auditory cortex and areas that process emotions, meaning that the two can communicate better. Oxford Academic published his findings and the periodical Neuroscience quoted him saying, "The idea being that more fibers and increased efficiency between two regions mean that you have more efficient processing between them." In layman's terms that means if you get chills when listening to music, you are more likely to have stronger and more intense emotions. These sensations can then be associated with memories linked to a certain song which cannot be controlled in a laboratory setting.
Sachs is doing further research since his first study was small in size. These new work will focus on the brain's activity when listening to songs that register certain reactions. He is hoping to learn more about the neurological causes of these reactions and how to tap into these reactions, through music, as a treatment for certain psychological disorders. Because depression causes an inability to experience the pleasure of everyday things, therapists might be able to use music to help clients explore feelings.
I'd say this is pretty impressive work for an undergraduate! way to go Mr. Sachs!
"Music is what feelings sound like."
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