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Listening to music activates the creative areas of the brain
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
Finnish scientists have developed an innovative method that allows them to study how the brain processes various aspects of music, such as rhythm, pitch and timbre (sound colour), in real time.
The study is groundbreaking and shows how global neural connections in the brain, including areas responsible for motor actions, emotions and creativity, are activated while listening to music. The new method helps to better understand the complex dynamics of connections that arise in the brain and how music affects the person as a whole.
The study was published in the journal NeuroImage.
Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a team of scientists led by Dr. Vinu Alluri from the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, recorded the brain responses of people who listened to contemporary Argentine tango. Using sophisticated computer algorithms, they analyzed the musical content of tango: rhythm, tonality, and timbre components. The researchers then compared the brain's responses to the musical sounds and discovered many interesting things.
Scientists have found that listening to music activates not only the auditory area of the brain, but also large-scale neural networks. They have also found that musical impulses are processed with the participation of the motor areas of the brain, confirming the hypothesis that music and movement are closely intertwined. Processing of rhythm and tonality of music occurred with the participation of the limbic areas of the brain, which are known to be associated with emotion. Processing of timbre was associated with the activation of the so-called “default mode,” which is believed to be associated with intelligence and creativity.
"Our study results show for the first time how music activates emotional, motor and creative areas of the brain," says Professor Petri Toiviainen from the University of Jyväskylä.
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