What's the underlying evolutionary benefit behind humanity's love of music?

Question

The human race is intensely interested and indeed even devoted to creating, playing and listening to music. What kind of evolutionary benefit is behind this love of music?

I'm reading Daniel Dennett's book "Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon", and he's brought up this same question. I haven't come upon his explanation yet, so I thought I'd pose it to Y!A users.

I'm sitting here listening to John Mayer (whose music I seem to love more than air sometimes) and it occurred to me... "yeah, this is supremely enjoyable, but WHY does it inspire these feelings?" So... anyhow, for everyone who didn't care, that's why I asked.

Answer 1

I don`t think there is an evolutionary benefit to humanity`s love for music. Rather I think that it is a byproduct of
"The Great Leap Forward." I`m reading Dawkins book
"The Ancestors Tail" and he said that somewhere before or after (I cant remember) the paleolithic age human consciousness exploded. That is when we began to write, draw pictures, communicate on higher levels etc.... He said that we are just apart of "The Great Leap Forward" that nothing we have done in modern day compares to this advance in human history. To return to your question I think that when our consciousness exploded music was created as a means of expression. A byproduct of evolution not an underlying benefit.

Edit: Desiree (below me) has a great answer but I think you and her may be missing the point here. To think of humanity`s love of music as an evolutionary advantage by means of natural selection is all wrong. The question is not why was a love of music selected for over tone deafness. The real question is how did humans come to recognize, appreciate, and imitate (patterns of sounds) in the first place. Animals use sounds as a means of communication. Humans play music as a means of expression (Big difference).
When we took "The Great Leap Forward" we developed a heighten sense of awarness. We were able to discren differences in our surrounding environment. This is when our "What if" imagination began to flower. To think that music was in someway beneficial to our survival thus making it a favorable evolutionary trait to be selected for is to think backwards. Music comes from the greater consciouness. Once we develped our conciousness to a point where we were able to create music blind genes and the surrounding enviornment had nothing to do with it`s survival. Because with that heighten sense of awarness our language and oral traditions increased as well. Thus music was passed down through the greater conciousness. I`ll end with an exercept from Dawkins book "The Ancestors Tale"

Dawkins: Before the leap man-made artifacts had harldy changed for a million years. As far as we can tell there was no paintings, no carvings, no figurines, no grave woods, no ornamentation. After the leap, all these things suddenly appear in the archaelogical record, together with
"Musical Instruments" such as bone flutes.

Answer 2

What an interesting question.

I would guess that it's part of social bonding and communication, like you find with other animals.

Other animals participate in their own music-making. Consider wolves, whales, birds, and so on. Song in animals can do everything from mark territory and let others know where you are to reassure fellow group members that everything is OK. When things are not OK, animals stop "singing" and either fall silent or make different sounds that indicate danger.

I think there are some real parallels in human life. Everything from ethnic music to the music of a particular generation can play a part in both social bonding and group comfort. Because of our big brains, humans have taken music beyond these initial purposes, but I think those were the original functions that are still with us today.

Answer 3

Anything which can relax and soothe, or stimulate to movement, or otherwise communicate feelings in the way music does, even without words, is a benefit to the sense of community, which in turn has evolutionary benefits. Those who feel connected as a tribe or a village, who share musical tastes and probably even specific tunes, will function together better and be more likely to survive.

Remember that there are two important factors to evolution: mate selection and survival. Music is good for both!

Answer 4

Well the great thing about music is it can be enjoyed no matter what language you speak or what nationality you are or what your mental capacity is. It enjoyable and soothing - even to young babies. People often say that sight is our first introduction to the world, but it is really sounds. The baby can hear and even recognize voices from when it was in the womb. Therefore, I think sounds is pleasant and soothing because it is the most basic thing we understand, but it can also bring about many other emotions depending on who you are. Some find relaxation in nature sounds, while others blare their rock n roll for relief. It is the one sense, that seems to speak to our inner self in a way that words struggle to explain. Before words, sight or smell; we had sound.

Answer 5

Evolutionary benefit...so, the question is; is the reason why so many people enjoy music, because those with a genetic tendency to enjoy music have become better at survival and are more prolific breeders? That's what the question implies, I think. I mean, there are people in society who are tone deaf and they don't seem to get any enjoyment at all from music and even find it a distraction but people with this characteristic are rare, most people do enjoy music and can sing, whistle or tap a foot in time with a beat.

This is quite interesting and I have thought along similar lines before, but mainly in regards to mankind's pursuit of expression of emotion (art) in general. Does a love of making sounds (music) exist in the animal kingdom? Male humpback whales have quite a repertoire of 'songs' and these change with the seasons. Some calls of birds are quite intricate and they don't at first glance seem to be solely related to survival.

Another thing that just occurred to me; has music ever been used to give a survival advantage? I think it has. The first thing that springs to mind is the Hakka practiced by the Maori from New Zealand. It's an ancient pre battle dance with accompanying words and facial expressions. It was used by tribes to daunt enemies and bluff their way out of armed conflict. So maybe this is an example of how those best at music and rhythm would become better breeders.

Primitive man used music as a way of uniting tribe members. Songs would have been used like anthems for tribes, songs that were designed to lift the hopes of soldiers during battle and to intimidate enemies. The Scottish bagpipes, for example, were used during the battles in which Scottish soldiers fought. In fact, in nearly all forms of waging war, trumpeters, pipers, bards, poets etc play an important role. And of course there is the important role that music plays in the art of love and seduction. So yes, I think it's fair to say that we have evolved with a love of music and that love of music has helped shape our species.

Answer 6

I think music is a matter of education and or generation.
When I first heard the Beatles in the 60s my parents couldn't stand them.
When I first heard Rap 'music' my nephew loved it; I didn't.
I never really liked Classical and or Opera but I've learned to appreciate it over the last coupla decades.

"What's the underlying evolutionary benefit behind humanity's love of music?"
Just making it up as I go along, I think the beat of the heart was the first music we felt secure with and mimicked followed by the sounds of birds and other animals.
I haven't thought of whether a musical instrument came before or after the voice - afterwards I would think.
.

Answer 7

Music like math is a universal language that any and all can enjoy, and is related deeply to Math, the metaphysical language of the Almighty!! We have been blessed with an ear that is sensitive to music and a brain that appreciates it across the national and religious divides, uniting mankind across the races, languages. Classical music or instrumental music is really and truly universal music that speaks the same language of love or sorrow that can unite minds across humanity. Even some animals can appreciate and enjoy some types of music with us.

Thus the Lord Almighty has allowed some cementing of everything through some sources which tie souls together. In the Quran the mention is made of the spell binding music played by King David, who sang the Psalms to attract people to the Almighty. The sayings of the Prophet take it one step farther and speaks of the birds being spell bound by David's music which was always in praise of the Almighty.

The Sufis have brought spiritual music to the masses across the religious and national divides on behalf of the Muslims. Men who have written beautiful classical music from Christian and Jewish backgrounds spell bound audiences from many religions and nations.

Ultimately music can be a unifying platform for us all to unite in worshipping the Maker of Music, who allowed nature to have the opportunities to create sounds and gave us ears and brains to process, analyze and love music at a deep spiritual level.

Answer 8

I'll take a shot at this one.
In primitive times, when humans were hunter-gatherers, the hunt was very important. It meant life or death so they made up dances. If you performed the dance correctly, you would be rewarded with a successful hunt. Meat on the table and hide to keep you warm in winter.
To perform the dance correctly, they created a rhythm to follow and it took off from there. Adding the rhythm to celebrate social structuring became a form of entertainment. Who was the better dancer? The warrior before the struggle or the mother before the birth of her child?
I'm probably wrong, but I think I'm not that far off.
Let me know!
Very interesting question!

Answer 9

Human beings have an ability to reach heights of creativity or depths of destructiveness which are unparallelled in the animal kingdom. The reason for this is the unparallelled freedom which our impulses have, because of our capacity for self-transcendence (the ability to stand outside of ourselves and view both self and the world around us objectively). The Creativity/Destructiveness is not the direct evolutionary benefit, but rather the result of this self-transcendence - which is an obvious evolutionary benefit. It allows us to adapt our environment to our needs - the ultimate evolutionary adaptation (since all of evolution up to the emergence of humans was based on adapting the needs of the creature to the environment). This self-transcendence is essentially what we mean by the word "spirit"; it gives birth to all the great artistic and technological achievements of humanity including Reason. But it also gives birth to wars, imperialism and oppression. Music just happens to be the way we transcend the mere sense of sound and give it free creative reign.

Peace to you.

Answer 10

I think the fact that music can transcend you to a time, place or memory like no words can. It is amazing that certain songs can evoke a feeling from a time and place and it floods back to you with vivid clarity. It really is a beautiful thing. Good question. Have a good evening