Why do we feel emotions when listening to music?

As a young man I enjoyed listening to a particular series of French instructional programs. I didn't understand a word, but was nevertheless enthralled. Was it because the sounds of human speech are thrilling? Not really. Speech sounds alone, stripped of their meaning, don't inspire. read more

We didn't invent music, as much as we synthesized it from the core of our being; music is one of the most elemental discoveries of humans. When sound is arranged in particular ways, it can resonate with our emotions because our emotions have a similar wave length. read more

For every feeling you have, there is a certain song that just speaks to you and makes you feel better inside, and that’s why we like music so much: for the emotion it provides us. It’s important here to make the difference between an emotion and a feeling. read more

It's an intriguing question that would seem to have a simple answer; but some theorists don't think so. Instead, there's an argument that controversially suggests we aren't experiencing traditional emotions in response to music at all. read more