A dive into the relationship between the art of sound and our history Have you ever wondered why we listen to music? Or why might we like one musical rhythm more and not another? Viviane dos Santos Louro, doctor in Neuroscience and professor in the Music department of the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), spoke with […]
A dive into the relationship between the art of sound and our history
Have you ever wondered why we listen to music? Or why might we like one musical rhythm more and not another? Viviane dos Santos Louro, doctor in Neuroscience and professor in the Music department of the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), spoke with Malu to clarify these and other doubts about the fascinating art of rhythm and sound.
Let’s start from the beginning: why do humans listen to music?
“From an evolutionary point of view, no one knows for sure how music arose among us and why. However, it is known that it has existed for more than 30 thousand years, thanks to the findings of flutes made from animal bones. From Dal’s point of view from a social point of view, music is among the great arts. In short, we listen to it because it gives us pleasure, being perhaps the most present artistic manifestation in our daily lives and as a form of entertainment, parties, advertising, on our cell phones, everywhere. In short, we listen to music because we need it as a way to express our identity, emotions, thoughts and as a way to experience pleasure and generate pleasure in our brain.”
How does music influence our personality and what does it reveal about us?
“We have heard it since we were little, from our mother who sang while breastfeeding us, but also in cartoons, video games, musical groups, etc. Given the culture and influence received by each person throughout their life, music ‘grows’ with and is part of the construction of our personality. If I am a nostalgic person or with a more introspective or depressed mood, I will probably like songs that are slower, nostalgic or with lyrics that refer to sadness, if I am. an angry person, with an adventurous and transgressive spirit, I will probably like more ‘heavy’, impactful music and things like that, rhythmic or danceable music will be welcome and so on.
Now the burning question is: does our personality influence us to like certain types of music or does music influence us in building our personality? What does music reveal about us? There is an old saying that says: ‘If you want to know a people, pay attention to the music they listen to and make’. Here, music reveals our psychic essence, personality, beliefs, it reveals who we are.”
How do culture and social environment influence a person’s musical preferences?
“Everything we experience from pregnancy influences our musical preferences. If the mother sang and listened to music during pregnancy or if the mother is a musician and studied music during pregnancy, this will influence the baby. Most likely the type of music that parents will consume will also be absorbed by children as a preference as the child grows and socializes with other individuals, he begins to discover new music and this can change his musical taste, taking into account his age, the moment in which he discovery of music, what it expresses, etc.”
Does exposure to different musical genres during childhood and adolescence affect us permanently?
“Not necessarily. We may have a preference for one genre because in childhood we learned that way, but, suddenly, at another stage, we discover different songs that we didn’t even know existed and we change or expand our repertoire Music is very tied to our identity, so just as we change our tastes in clothes, food, places, films and books with age and new experiences, we can also change our tastes in music: people are more open to new music or we like different styles, it increases. Everything that is encouraged in childhood has a great influence on our life, but it is not a definitive factor, we can always change.”
How can music be used as a form of expression of cultural and personal identity?
“Music represents groups. We are social beings and live in groups. It is therefore not just about the sound itself, but about an identity. The sound, the instruments, the lyrics, the way of singing, the way of dressing, the place of musical performance, the history of that musical genre itself and similar, all this constitutes musical identity and expresses the cultural and personal identity of the groups. Young people who like heavy metal, for example, dress, behave and express themselves verbally differently than those who like rap or classical music.”
What makes someone dislike a certain genre of music?
“Everything that concerns the human being will always have psychological, social and biological issues at play. A person may not like a song or a genre because he has not had the opportunity to know it better, or because he judges it musically without coherence, because they think that the lyrics don’t express anything interesting, because they don’t feel that this song represents their identity or even because of some trauma. Suppose a person loves a certain song but, traveling in a car, suffers a very serious accident while listening this music in the car. Maybe this person starts to hate the music he loved. It is a myth to think that music is only good for you, there are people who are sensitive to certain sounds or music and can, as a result, trigger epileptic seizures or depressive.
Music can trigger unwanted feelings, depending on the lyrics or our relationship with that song or genre. So just as our experiences in the world help build our musical taste, they also help build our musical disaffection.”
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
