ON MUSIC AND SOUND:
Reaction to music and sound
Music and sound definitely affect us at a biological level. Audio frequencies are actually stimuli to the brain the same way that food, drugs and sex are; these stimuli make our brains release a neurotransmitter called dopamine which chemically puts our brains in a state of pleasure. This chemical reaction will leave your body feeling good and craving more of the stimuli. Though not on the same level music is addictive to our brains just like drugs, food and sex are and creates the same chemical response in humans across the world regardless of the social context.
But does it affect all of us the same way?
Does music have a definite connotation that provokes a specific kind of response in us? In other words, is sad music actually supposed to make us feel sad and happy music supposed to make us feel happy? These are the kinds of questions that are raised when we study the usual reaction that happens when we listen to a specific kind of music. These questions have been answered by many studies that show that the response that we have towards music is very subjective, we only react to certain music with the “appropriate” feeling just because we were taught that it was supposed to happen. It is not a matter of what the music provokes but of what we are expecting to receive.
So is it possible to correctly categorize music as good or bad?
I think it is safe to say that because of our subjective opinions and responses towards music the quality of music should not be defined. As history has proven what was once considered torture for the ears in earlier times is now one of the most profitable and loved genres of music (Dubstep). The boundaries of what is considered music or sound are not set in stone so why should the quality of these sounds be?
Alejandro Ocampo 