Earlier today on the Nikki and The Morning Show, Nikki, Sam and Mark discussed a recent study that explains why and how our favorite songs, evoke a deep emotional response. According to neuroscientists, when we hear music that we like, it activates a part of the brain's reward system which sometimes makes it hard to resist the urge to dance.
In fact, did you know that cognitive psychologist Daniel Levitin of McGill University, right here in Montreal, has written extensively about this and the science of music, including two popular books, This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession (2006) and The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature (2008). In his article “The Psychology of Music: Rhythm and Movement,” (co-authored with Jessica A. Grahn), he writes, “the urge to move to music is universal among humans. Unlike visual art, which is manifest across space, music is manifest across time. When listeners get carried away by the music, either through movement (such as dancing) or through reverie (such as trance), it is usually the temporal qualities of the music—its pulse, tempo, and rhythmic patterns—that put them in this state”.
And there you have it folks; like it or not, if you hear one of your favourite songs, your brain will automatically make you want to tap your fingers, shake your hips and get up and dance.
Take a listen to the segment below and let us know if any of these songs give you the urge to move. And while you are here, be sure to check out this list of the 50 greatest dance songs.
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