Why Only Half The Population Gets Musical “Chills”
About 50% of the world’s population get chills while listening to music.
The effect of Music on The Brain
Music stimulates an ancient reward pathway in the brain.
It sends a rush of dopamine through the striatum, the part of the forebrain activated from addiction, reward, and motivation.
Music can effect our brain the same way as sex, gambling, and food.
When listening to music, dopamine levels tend to peak a few seconds before a song’s special moment or climax.
The brain is constantly predicting what will happen next in a song.
But some music is difficult for the brain to predict and that’s where chills come in.
When you finally hear a long awaited chord or high note the striatum floods with dopamine leading to the “chills.”
The greater the build, the heavier the chills.
Musical Chills and Frisson
The French refer to this phenomenon as frisson, or chills caused by aesthetics.
Aesthetics of a favourite, song, movie, or painting.
The chill response can occur in any musical genre, whether happy or sad.
In fact, another theory suggests that sad music triggers the amygdala, responsible for processing emotions.
A somber tune can trigger the fear response in the amygdala.
When the situation is accessed, and there is no real danger present, the response becomes positive in the form of chills.
What Do Musical Chills Say About You?
The 50% of the population who experience musical chills have a higher volume of fibres connecting their auditory cortex to areas concerning emotional processing.
The higher the number of fibres, the more communication.
Even though scientists know why chills or frisson occurs, they don’t know what evolutionary purpose it serves.
If you get musical chills you also tend to have more powerful emotions, and are open to new experiences overall.
