Today I’m just going to ramble on a bit about music and what I’ve picked up about how it all works:
Neurologically humans are programmed to recognise patterns, when the pattern is successfully predicted the brain releases hormones that make us happy, which also strengthen the connections in that area of the brain. When it gets it wrong it release cortisol a stress hormone and I bet we don’t feel as good.
We also feel happier about being in social groups, socially conforming produces much higher releases of happy chemicals than going against the grain or being alone.
So what would a pleb like me make of these ideas?
I reckon this means that the music we enjoy will be what ever music we’ve listened to while in the company of people we like and it’ll be dependant on the number of times listened and how similar the music is to other music you like. If it’s a new form of music which is completely different, then a socially positive experience can introduce the patterns and allow you to enjoy that music more (say listening to Beethoven or Mendel while at a Concert with friends).
It’s unlikely the the kind of music we enjoy are related to our intellect or genetics. A person who is in the social circles of rap music will tend not to like classical music, but that’s only because of the large social separation between people who like each kind.
Thoughts?