GabyMusic holds a central place in human emotions. However, the pleasure each person derives from it is unique. Scientists assert that this ability has a genetic foundation.
A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen (Netherlands), the Institute for Empirical Aesthetics (Germany), and the Karolinska Institute (Sweden) identified genetic factors that influence the degree of enjoyment from music. These factors partly differ from those responsible for general reward satisfaction, Medical Xpress reported.
So why do people enjoy music?
“The answer to this big question may open a window into broader aspects, such as how experiences become pleasurable. We wanted to understand whether genetic differences between people cause variations in the enjoyment they get from music and what these differences can tell us about human musicality in general,” said Giacomo Bignardi, the lead author of the study.
To determine whether genetic factors contribute to musical enjoyment or “sensitivity to musical reward,” the researchers used the twin method, which compares similarities between identical and fraternal twins.
The team analyzed data from over 9,000 Swedish twins. The information covered sensitivity to musical reward and general reward sensitivity, as well as the ability to perceive musical characteristics such as pitch and melody.
The results showed that the ability to derive pleasure from music is partly inherited. Using the twin method, the researchers estimated that 54 percent of differences in music perception in the sample are linked to differences in DNA.
The team also found that genetic influence on sensitivity to musical reward is only partially related to general reward perception. Scientists further discovered that different genetic pathways affect various aspects of musical enjoyment, such as emotional response, desire to play an instrument, or to dance.
“These findings indicate a complex picture in which partially expressed DNA differences contribute to different aspects of musical enjoyment,” Bignardi noted.
In future research, the team will focus on identifying which parts of the genome make the greatest contribution to a person’s ability to enjoy music.
The study’s results were published in the journal Nature Communications.
