How Music Impacts the Way the Brain "Listens"

New research shows that our brain waves synchronize to what we are listening to.  In turn, this activity influences how we listen- our hearing capacity is determined by our brain's "rhythm."  Molly Henry and Jonas Obleser, researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Human Cognitive and Brain Science, state:

The slow waxings and wanings of brain activity are called neural oscillations. They regulate our ability to process incoming information. From these findings, an important conclusion emerges: All acoustic fluctuations we encounter appear to shape our brain’s activity. Apparently, our brain uses these rhythmic fluctuations to be prepared best for processing important upcoming information.

Commenting on the importance of these findings, one author suggests:

This idea holds fascinating implications for the way humans process speech and music: Imagine the melodic contour of a human voice or your favourite piece of music going up and down. If your brain becomes coupled to, or “entrained” by, these melodic changes, Henry and Obleser reasoned, then you might also be better prepared to expect fleeting but important sounds occurring in what the voice is saying, for example, a “d” versus a “t”.

Researchers hope these findings will provide important information on how hearing loss impact how we listen.

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