Even If You Hate Music, Your Brain Still Wants to Dance

The hidden power of rhythm

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For some, music is life.

For others, it’s just background noise.

And then, for some strange people, music is the worst thing ever (see my article on Freud).

But whether you love it or feel nothing at all, your brain is still wired to move to the beat. A team of researchers from Concordia University (Canada) challenged a fundamental assumption about musical enjoyment:

You don’t need to like music to feel the urge to move.

It’s just science

The researchers tested 148 participants, including 17 people with musical anhedonia (people who feel zero pleasure from music but enjoy other things like food and sex). Participants listened to 54 computer-generated beats — no catchy lyrics, no nostalgia triggers, just raw rhythm. The goal was to isolate the groove without the bias of lyrical or emotional associations.

Then, they were asked two questions:

1. How much do you like this?
2. How much does it make you want to move?

Move first, enjoy later.