A groundbreaking international study co-authored by psychologist Caroline Palmer from McGill University suggests that our brains and bodies don’t just perceive music; we physically resonate with it. This discovery, grounded in findings from the fields of neuroscience, music, and psychology, supports the concept of Neuro-Resonance Theory (NRT).

NRT argues that musical experiences, rather than being based on learned expectations or predictions, stem from the brain’s natural oscillations synchronized with rhythm, melody, and harmony. These oscillations shape our sense of timing, musical preferences, and our instinctive drive to keep in rhythm.

“This theory suggests that the power of music comes not just from hearing it but from how our brains and bodies truly integrate with it,” said Caroline Palmer, Professor of Psychology at McGill University and Director of the Sequence Production Laboratory. “This has profound implications for therapy, education, and technology.”

The publication of this research in Nature Reviews Neuroscience marks the first time the entirety of the NRT theory has been published in a single paper. The theory proposes that shared brain resonance patterns among individuals—independent of their musical backgrounds—are reflected in the structure of elements like pulse and harmony.

According to NRT, how we perceive and produce music can be explained by the fundamental dynamics of human brain mechanisms that extend from the ear, through the spinal cord, and to our limb movements.

The researchers highlight potential applications for the theory, including:

• Therapeutic tools for conditions like stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and depression
• Emotionally intelligent artificial intelligence capable of responding to or even producing music like humans
• New learning technologies for rhythm and pitch training
• Cross-cultural insights into why music unites people worldwide

The study was led by Edward Large from the University of Connecticut and co-authored by Caroline Palmer. It was partially funded by the Canada Research Chair and the NSERC Discovery Grant.

For further details, you can read the original article here: Science Daily – Musical Neurodynamics.

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