New study shows what happens in the brain to make music
rewarding
A new study reveals what happens in our brain when we decide
to purchase a piece of music when we hear it for the first time. The study,
conducted at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital – The Neuro,
McGill University and published in the journal Science on April 12, pinpoints
the specific brain activity that makes new music rewarding and predicts the
decision to purchase music.
Participants in the study listened to 60 previously unheard
music excerpts while undergoing functional resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning,
providing bids of how much they were willing to spend for each item in an
auction paradigm.