Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2020 August 25

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August 25

Why do we enjoy music?

I'm not referring to the technical aspects of music theory, but wondering what evolutionary pressure leads to the (AFAIK) universal love of a form of music. Why is it that in the absence of external music we tend to manufacture our own: whistling, humming or just the internal "sound" that may approximate to something once heard? Again, what evolutionary pressure leads humans to do this, and for the really difficult question: do other primates do likewise? Martin of Sheffield (talk) 10:17, 25 August 2020 (UTC)

The study of human enjoyment is called Aesthetics. The study of animals and music is called Zoomusicology. --Jayron32 11:12, 25 August 2020 (UTC)

There is no "evolutionary pressure", and not everyone enjoys music.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 12:28, 25 August 2020 (UTC)

That's drawing a long bow. There's a time and place for everything, and there are times and places where absence of music is highly desirable, but it's inescapable. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 12:38, 25 August 2020 (UTC)

Like pulling up to a stoplight, and someone else pulls up, with their windows rolled down, playing music so loudly it could drown out a jet plane. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 14:48, 25 August 2020 (UTC)

Yes. Or most cafes these days. Give me something soft, smooth and unobtrusive; or no music at all; and you'll have me as a dedicated patron as long as the food, service and price also tick the boxes. But often they play music that is utterly incompatible with any reasonable person's idea of a cafe atmosphere; it's more like a damn rave party. I vote with my feet. The irony is, they get the customers they deserve, because anyone who actually likes that sort of "music" is obviously the scum of the earth. There, I've said it. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 22:56, 30 August 2020 (UTC)

Bars (maybe other venues too) appear to value the surplus of orders higher than a few lost clients such as Jack :-P [1]. (just messin' with Jack, in principle, I fully agree with him (though furniture music, muzak, what have you ... can drive one nuts as well) ---Sluzzelin talk 23:08, 30 August 2020 (UTC)

You might be interested in the following articles and where they lead to as well: Evolutionary musicology, Neuroscience of music, Music and emotion. ---Sluzzelin talk 14:52, 25 August 2020 (UTC)

(edit conflict) We have an article, Evolutionary musicology, which discusses the various hypotheses. See also 7 Theories On Why We Evolved to Love Music. Alansplodge (talk) 14:55, 25 August 2020 (UTC)

Thanks all for your various comments and suggestions. @Jayron32: – I followed your links and where they linked to and ended up at Evolutionary musicology which seems to be the best description. @Shantavira and Baseball Bugs: I quite agree about inappropriate sounds, some of which barely meet any sane description of music; however I doubt that anyone dislikes all music every where all the time. @JackofOz: put it well. As regards evolutionary pressure; if some trait is very nearly universally adopted by a species, then there is usually some advantage to those expressing the genes. My original query was what that advantage was as humans evolved. Thanks all, Martin of Sheffield (talk) 15:20, 25 August 2020 (UTC)

You are making at least two very huge assumptions here. 1) You are assuming that "liking music" is a single trait and 2) that it is actively being selected for. It is much more likely that it is a conglomeration of things, some of which may be selected for and others of which may simply be unintended consequences that just "come along for the ride". --Khajidha (talk) 15:48, 26 August 2020 (UTC)

To point 1 I would suggest that it is not the liking which is the assumption, but the assumption (which I freely confess) that music is a single entity. However most aspects of music (rhythm and melody in particular) seem to be universal. As regards point 2, if music "comes along for the ride", what is transporting it? Types of music may have a cultural significance (blare of trumpets = big chief approaches), or an intellectual appreciation (40-part motet), but the fact that some form of rhythmic sound varying in pitch seems to transcend such divisions. So why? Martin of Sheffield (talk) 16:32, 26 August 2020 (UTC)

Many animals use pitch and rhythm as a form of communication (see the article I linked above) so that fact that humans can hear those distinctions and identify them easily is hardly surprising. However, music forms an important factor in building a shared culture between individual humans, and building a shared culture is, in itself, and important survival tool. Social bonds can increase survivability and the ability to pass on genes, so things which increase social cohesion will tend to be preserved, and an appreciation of music could just be one of those things that, back in the mysts of time, helped early hominids form social bonds that improved chances of survival. Don't take my word for it, here is a well referenced paper that makes the case for the idea. --Jayron32 16:38, 26 August 2020 (UTC)

It is not "music" that is coming along for the ride, it is the physiological and neurological reaction to it. As several of the articles linked above (both on and off wiki) mention, regular sounds can signal "safety" while irregular sounds signal "danger". By giving regular patterns of sound, "music" triggers feelings of safety and comfort which lead to sensations of pleasure. And you still can't seem to get away from the concept of "music" as a "thing". It isn't. --Khajidha (talk) 17:23, 26 August 2020 (UTC)

Another point: what do you mean by "liking"? Some music soothes my nerves and makes me relax. Some makes me want to dance elegantly. Some makes me want to thrash about wildly and scream. These are all different reactions and all different stimuli, but your question lumps them all into "liking" and "music". --Khajidha (talk) 17:28, 26 August 2020 (UTC)

To be fair, liking is not that hard of a concept to grasp. If it gives you pleasure and if you would seek it out, then it is something you like. Most English speakers have an intuitive grasp of what the word "like" means, and it isn't related to any one particular emotion, but to the notion of pleasure and seeking out. Regardless of whether you're relaxing or thrashing about, if you seek that response out and if it gives you pleasure, you "like" it. --Jayron32 15:23, 28 August 2020 (UTC)

Liking music in general does not ensure liking a particular genre or artist. Some people love opera. I recall something Ed McMahon once said: "When I was young, I was embarrassed that I didn't like opera. I still don't like opera, but I'm no longer embarrassed about it." ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 16:53, 28 August 2020 (UTC)

Details about the song Alike I Love You of Jincheng Zhang

Please if would you be able to give me details about the song Alike I Love You and about its creator Jincheng Zhang. 37.142.167.178 (talk) 23:14, 25 August 2020 (UTC)