Music and The Brain

Ever wonder why music affects us so much? Or how? Well, here are some answers in short. The brain can do so many things-- we don't always understand it all either. What we do know is there are different parts of the brain that control and do different things. For example, the prefrontal cortex is involved in behavior and decision-making; the amygdala controls certain emotions, that including fear. However, the amygdala is one of the big components of feeling sadness, joy, anger, or angst with music. The amygdala also plays a part in emotional memory; this memory is a type triggered by positive or negative feelings, and this contributed to the feelings from listening to music. So, this is a reason why so many people believe that listening to music while studying helps the student do so much better on tests, homework, etc. Here is an interesting read to anyone who would like to learn more in-depth information on the brain's interpretations of music. http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro99/web1/Sancar.html Sources: https://rampages.us/jethrosmitty/wp-content/uploads/sites/12942/2015/11/Brain-on-music.jpg http://scholarpedia.org/article/Amygdala