Why do we love music?

A 2011 study by researchers at McGill University found that listening to pleasurable music releases dopamine in the striatum, the same reward circuit involved in food and other pleasures. Dopamine rose both during peak moments and in anticipation of them, which explains the thrill of a build-up or the “chills” some people feel. Music is found in every known human culture, and a 2019 Harvard study found that songs for dancing, lullabies and love songs share recognisable features worldwide. Singing and dancing together may have evolved to strengthen social bonds.