The Urge to Move to Music Is Hardwired

[Chip (OP)]

https://neurosciencenews.com/music-anhedonia-movement-28412/

February 11, 2025

Summary: A new study finds that the urge to move to music—known as groove—is a distinct physiological response, separate from musical enjoyment. Researchers examined individuals with musical anhedonia, who feel little or no pleasure from music, and found they still had a strong urge to move when listening to rhythmic beats.

Key Facts:

Movement-Driven Pleasure: People with musical anhedonia still experience an urge to move to music, even if they don’t enjoy it.

Separate Brain Circuits: The dorsal striatum, linked to movement, may drive groove responses, while the ventral striatum regulates musical pleasure.

Future Brain Studies: Researchers plan to use MRI and magnetoencephalography to investigate how brain connectivity differs in individuals with musical anhedonia.

Participants rated how much pleasure they experienced and how much the music made them want to move, revealing that movement itself may generate pleasure for those with anhedonia. Unlike previous expectations, these individuals showed normal groove responses, suggesting that rhythm-based movement engages brain circuits differently from those responsible for musical enjoyment.

The pleasurable urge to move to music — to groove — appears to be a physiological response independent of how much we generally enjoy music, according to a new paper led by Concordia researchers.

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Photo attachment - That suggests that the blunted pleasure sensation found in people with musical anhedonia is compensated by the urge to move. Credit: Neuroscience News: