As a musician, I was immediately intrigued by this new study by an international team of researchers that suggests that there is a link between understanding the emotions of others better and interpreting emotions conveyed through music. From the press release: The study’s results provide a foundation for future research that could test the impact… Read More New study shows link between empathy and music

While I’m writing this, my wife is trying to learn to play To make you feel my love by Bob Dylan on the piano. She has been listening to many different versions, but still, it was easy for both of us to recognize the song. We don’t think this is something special, but it actually… Read More How unique to humans is recognizing a song?

There are not really genres I really dislike, most of the time I like or dislike certain bands or artists. I seem to have an allergic reaction to almost everything Kate Bush has done. But still, a metalhead at a dance party, it’s probably less common. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics… Read More Why people dislike music

Is your musical taste a good predictor of your personality traits? It does seem to be the case, although the researchers remain cautious. Research involving more than 350,000 participants from over 50 countries and 6 continents has found that links between musical preferences and personality are universal. But there is more. The findings suggest that… Read More Links between musical preferences and personality seem to be universal.

What better way to start this new year – Happy New Year, btw – than with music? Or better: research about music! Researchers found that students trained to play music from a young age exhibited certain kinds of brain activity more strongly than other students. This is not unreasonable to expect, as well, they use… Read More Interesting patterns of brain activity emerge during musical analysis exercises