music-and-happiness-2

Music activates so many parts of our brain that it’s impossible to say that we have a center for music the way we do for other tasks and subjects, such as language.

If the song has lyrics, then the parts of the brain that process language, Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas, kick into gear. Researchers have found that songs can activate our visual cortex, perhaps because our brain tries to construct a visual image of the changes in pitch and tone. Songs can trigger neurons in the motor cortex, leading you to tap your foot and boogie. Your cerebellum gets into the act, trying to figure out where a piece of music will go next, based on all the other songs it’s heard before.

(via)

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