Mini-conference: From perception to pleasure

From perception to pleasure: the neuroscience of music and why we love It

Why do we love music so much? What enables us to create it, perceive it, and enjoy it? In this lecture, neuroscientist Robert Zatorre of the Montreal Neurological Institute explains how our brains transform the sounds of music into emotions. He shows that musical pleasure arises from the interaction between the brain’s perception and reward systems, and that this pleasure is based on our ability to anticipate sounds—and to be surprised when these expectations are met, delayed, or thwarted.

Dr. Robert Zatorre is a scientist at McGill University’s Montreal Neurological Institute, renowned for his research on the neuroscience of music. He is the author of over 350 scientific publications on the functioning of the auditory cortex, pitch perception, musical imagery, and brain plasticity. His most significant discovery establishes a link between musical pleasure and the brain’s reward system. He is co-director of the International Brain, Music and Sound Research Laboratory (BRAMS) and has received numerous awards, including the Grand Prix Scientifique from the Fondation pour l’Audition (Paris) and an honorary doctorate from the University of Barcelona.