Why Does Music Exist?

How many times a day does rhythmic sound we recognize as music float through the air, into our ears, penetrating our brains? In the car ride to work, on a morning run, lingering in the background at your favorite coffee shop, adding drama to your weekend movie. Music is everywhere. But why? Why do we still have music after all these years? And what is its purpose? The answer is…we still don’t quite know. 

The first known instrument is a 40,000 year old flute. 40,000 years old. And while there’s no way of knowing how far back, scientists surmise that singing preceded the first instrument. But what was the purpose? 

Darwin thought music was our first means of communication. That, like birds, it was a way for humans to emote adoration. But, unlike birds, humans have a significant range and multiple capabilities when it comes to creating rhythmic sounds (for instance, playing instruments). Also, unlike our avian friends, as a society, we use sounds for pleasure and not just necessity. Music is one of the very things that makes us human.

The entire globe has some form of music. And while most cultures have synchronous timing and somewhat predictable rhythms, aside from a few outliers, music is widely recognizable. Around the world it is a somewhat universal language. Like math, only more fun. 

There’s no way of currently knowing if music is innate or not. A recent study was conducted on newborns a mere two to three days old who successfully predicted beat, but the argument is that fetuses can learn and adapt to music in the womb. Still--two to three day old babies understanding rhythm is pretty remarkable. 

In 2015, MIT scientists Josh McDermott and Nancy Kanwisher were able to discover that a section in the brain is fully reserved to listen to and interpret what we know as music. This portion of our brains does not use the same mechanism for language, it’s reserved only for instrumental and vocal music. 

But why? If we no longer need it as the sole form of communication, like some scientists have concluded, why has evolution not weeded out this gene? And the answer again is– we just don’t know, yet.

Scientists are just scratching the surface as to what music is capable of. Last week, we talked about music as medicine– using specific beats per minute to calm patients before medical procedures, aiding Parkinson’s patients in movement, and enabling Alzhemier’s sufferers to remember specific events. 

But music can also be a tool for focus, connection, and purpose. Scientists in San Francisco created twelve choirs for people aged 60 and older. When the study concluded, all choirs continued on because of the joy and social connection it provided for everyone in the program.

Aside from social connection, music can help our working memories. Scientists out of Sweden conducted a study with elderly participants in two separate groups– one group learned to play the piano while the other participated in active listening and music theory. At the conclusion of the study, both groups had higher amounts of gray matter in several areas of their brains than when they started. Grey matter is essential for the proper function of working memory, the thing that tells us we’re out of milk and then reminds us to get the milk that same day. The potential for music to be used in the future as a non-pharmaceutical means of aiding in cognitive decline is promising.

There are people out there that don’t really care about music– they actually do exist. They might not hate it, but they can take it or leave it. And then there are other people who can’t imagine a world where music doesn’t exist. Have you ever gotten goosebumps listening to someone sing? Is there a song that gives you the chills every time you hear it? Turns out, you’re one of 50% of the population who gets frisson. People who get frisson from art and beauty were found to have more neural fibers in their auditory cortex. Their brains are actually wired to love music. But why?  

And we still don’t know. Luckily, there are scientists, like McDermott and his team at MIT, currently working on uncovering answers to this question. Until then, keep listening, keep playing, and keep enjoying the many benefits music has to offer.