Whether its Mozart, Joni Mitchell,

Adele or newcomers like Frank Ocean,

music is powerful and has existed in all

cultures throughout history.

But why do humans find music

so addictive and pleasurable?

At its core, music is the combination of audio

frequencies and intricate patterns

floating through the air and

clashing together in your ear.

Much like your eyes process light, your ears process waves of sound

and trigger a state of excitement

and sometimes pleasure in your brain.

Humans experience pleasure from many

stimulants such as food, sex and drugs.

But because many of these stimulants

are necessary for human survival

the body has created a system

in which it rewards you for achieving them.

What's really happening is a release

of a neurotransmitter in the brain called dopamine.

Dopamine is a chemical responsible for

making you feel good.

When dopamine is released following a reward

such as a delicious meal or winning the lottery,

the neurotransmitter causes a feeling

of pleasure and satisfaction.

Drugs, such as cocaine, take advantage of this

pathway by increasing the amount of dopamine,

or rather, preventing its removal,

causing continual stimulation of your neurons,

which creates intense moments of pleasure.

Music has the ability to create

a state of arousal

causing pupils to dilate

blood pressure to rise,

and the brain to fire in

auditory, movement and emotional regions.
And even though music does not have
a direct survival benefit,

this emotional reaction causes a release of

the feel good chemical dopamine.

Though the exact evolutionary reasoning is unclear,

the amazing fact remains,

music chemically alters our body

and makes us feel great.

And in the same way that a drug

induced dopamine surge leaves you craving more,

music becomes addictive.

The dopamine tells your body it was rewarded

and creates the desire to seek out more.

Even though music enjoyment is entirely subjective and

intertwined with cultural and personal experience

The chemical effects remain consistent

amongst the human race,

a perfectly natural drug of happiness.

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