Why do humans like music?

Hello, CarolA:

Well, why do we all assume that stopping to hear music is more like stopping to sleep rather than like stopping to smoke?

Haven't you considered the possibility of it being sort of an intellectual drug? Of course there might be some good side effects -calm, a feeling of happiness- but there might as well be some bad ones.

For example, don't you think that it would be much better to learn how to solve each problem we face rather than playing something or hearing some music? Don't you think there is a chance that our bad temper is more related to the fact that we know there is an easy option and therefore we don't want to face whatever is upsetting us? (And we are upset or sad or... hungry or something most of time... else we wouldn't even move).

As I have said before I also use part of my time to play and listen music, and lately it worries me...

Perhaps the earliest rhythm was 2/4 (march time) which matches the human heart beat. The most common key has been C; it is said that the sounds of nature are always in that key.

Well, I guess if you want to sit in silence and do nothing it might be a good alternative, I prefer to do things and stay happy. "Facing" what is upsetting us can often mean using something like music or a brisk walk around the park to calm ourselves down. Oddly enough, sitting in silence and stewing over problems has never solved a single crisis in my life.
Being sad, upset or even hungry most of the time could also be a sign of ill health, it doesn't sound like a good way to feel.

(From the point of view of a being evolving towards better characteristics to survive somehow it doesn't make much sense... excepting the evident cultural one).

My doubt is, should we like music at all?

Hello, CarolA:


For example, don't you think that it would be much better to learn how to solve each problem we face rather than playing something or hearing some music? Don't you think there is a chance that our bad temper is more related to the fact that we know there is an easy option and therefore we don't want to face whatever is upsetting us? .

when you are upset about something, you are not upset because of whatever is bothering you, you are upset because you know there is an easy way out?

I dont know about you, but i dont like to spend all of my time solving my problems. i guess in the way you consider music a "drug" you could consider anything recreational a drug.

And sometimes, after "disconnecting" a whole afternoon listening to or playing music, I find neglected stuff. Normally not important stuff, I'm quite responsible. It's stuff that can wait a day, a week, even a year. But I started to think of it and I don't recollect a single day of my life when I would have been able to say everything was done (and I wonder if someone is ever able).

It is important to understand and be able to control your emotional side as well as you control your logical side. If you can't then you are fairly useless.

Music helps in this regard as it allows you to adjust heart rate and subdue or control strong emotional reactions.

Music is a tool that we use to communicate ideas on a purely emotional level. Take classical music for instance. There is not a single word spoken but it can make you happy, sad, motivated, angry, paranoid all depending on the beat, tone and application.

Yes, of course. In fact emotions seem to be there to induce us to act. It is the impulse to feel better that moves us to perform each action. If we couldn't compare between being sad or happy, same as between being hungry and satisfied, we would be far less efficient in keeping ourselves alive.

I think this may be why the general population does not like classical music. Much of it is created to illicit certain emotional responses and the common population does not take the time to learn or are never taught this aspect of listening to music, thus do not understand higher orders of music. This may also help explain why terrible pop music tends to be popular. It works on emotions that associate with primal hedonistic urges, which may go on to explain the short lived popularity of many pop songs.

Aristotle's ethics are about training the emotions so we respond to stimuli correctly so you are definitely right in those regards. People that respond wrongly to emotional stimuli spend more time working through the emotional responses and their lives end up more complicated. Anyway, this diversion on emotions would probably start a healthy discussion in the Ethics forum.