Why Some People Feel Nothing From Music: Scientists Uncover Rare Brain Disconnect

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https://scitechdaily.com/why-some-people-feel-nothing-from-music-scientists-uncover-rare-brain-disconnect/

A rare disconnect between auditory and reward circuits explains why some people feel no pleasure from music.

Ten years ago, scientists identified a small group of individuals who feel no pleasure from music even though their hearing is normal and they enjoy other types of experiences. This condition, called “specific musical anhedonia,” occurs when the brain’s auditory regions fail to properly communicate with the areas involved in reward. In a paper recently published in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences, the researchers who first described the condition outline the brain processes involved and explain how this work may help uncover broader differences in how people experience pleasure and joy.

“A similar mechanism could underlie individual differences in responses to other rewarding stimuli,” says author and neuroscientist Josep Marco-Pallarés of the University of Barcelona. “Investigating these circuits could pave the way for new research on individual differences and reward-related disorders such as anhedonia, addiction, or eating disorders.”

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fMRI results reveal a similar pattern: when exposed to music, people with musical anhedonia display lower activity in the reward circuit—the part of the brain involved in processing rewards such as food, sex, and art. However, this same circuit responds normally to other forms of reward, including experiences like winning money, which confirms that the reward system itself is functioning normally.

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Why people develop the condition is still unclear, but studies have shown that genetics and environment could both play a role. A recently published study in twins shows that genetic effects could be responsible for up to 54% of how much an individual enjoys music.

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