Question

how music resonates in the brain - from harvard medicine magazine
why does music leave such an emotional impression on us in the first place? what is it about tones and timbres that, when organized in a precise manner, can make us swoon or sway?
whelan believes the answer lies partly in evolutionary biology. the earliest mammals, most of them likely nocturnal, had to rely on their hearing and sense of smell as defensive mechanisms — they were hyperfocused, hyperattentive. according to whelan, the modern experience of listening to live music can be viewed as a vestige of that primeval adaptation.
in a performance venue, “there’s an incredible complex sound signature all around you,” whelan says. “the brain has to sift through all the ambient noise in a concert hall. it’s a much more primitive form of listening compared to a focused conversation.”
these acoustic cues — just like the crescendo of an approaching predator — travel through the ear and into the temporal lobe, which parses the soundscape, identifies sounds, and tags their components as familiar or unfamiliar.
the salience of these sounds — whether a person responds to them emotionally and motivationally — influences the autonomic nervous system (ans), a network that controls certain involuntary processes like breathing and heart rate. the valence of the music, which signals whether the music feels positive, negative, or somewhere in between, influences the ans, too.
these factors are among the reasons why our heart rate goes up when we hear the infamous music from jaws, or why experimental music or heavy metal might make us feel uncomfortable if we’re not used to it.
how has music affected you throughout your life?
what is the scientific basis for our appreciation of music?
what role does the temporal lobe play when we listen to music?
why do we have certain involuntary responses to music?

Explanation:

Music's emotional impact has evolutionary - biological roots. Early mammals relied on hearing. In modern times, listening to live music is a vestige of primeval adaptation. Sounds reach the temporal lobe, which processes them. The salience and valence of music influence the autonomic nervous system, causing involuntary responses.

Answer:

1. Music's emotional impact has evolutionary - biological roots from early mammalian adaptations.
2. The temporal lobe parses soundscapes when we listen to music.
3. The salience and valence of music influence the ANS, leading to involuntary responses.