14 DAY TRIAL // Opposable thumbs and a deep love for knowledge aside, the one thing that sets us apart from all other Earth dwellers is the fact that, be it only every once in a while, we get the urge to put on a good beat and bust a move.
Some of us are quite good at it, others not so much. Then again, it's the thrill that we're after and, with the perfect song ringing in our ears, that's bound to happen.
In a new video, available below, researchers with the American Chemical Society detail the effect that music has on our brain and try to explain why it is that we humans love it as much as we do.
As it turns out, really good music triggers the release of a chemical compound dubbed dopamine in the brain. In turn, this sudden increase in dopamine levels in the brain puts people in a good mood.
The reason the best songs to party to have breaks in their rhythm is because with such disruptions come surges in dopamine levels. As a result of these surges, we feel even better than we would listening to a perfectly symmetrical tune.
Interestingly, it appears that the human brain responds to music as it does to other forms of art such as literature or painting. The only difference is we can't really dance to our favorite novels.
