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The Human Nature of Music
Stephen Malloch1,2, Colwyn Trevarthen3
1Westmead Psychotherapy Program, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Frontiers in Psychology
|October 20, 2018
Summary
Music originates from innate communicative musicality, where bodies prospectively explore environments through habitual action patterns. This innate ability, observed in infant-caregiver interactions, forms the foundation for arts and well-being, fostering social resilience and therapeutic companionship.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Neuroscience
- Anthropology
Background:
- Music is a fundamental aspect of human experience, deeply intertwined with our biology and social interactions.
- The origins of musicality are explored through the lens of embodied cognition and developmental psychology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and support the concept of innate 'communicative musicality' as the origin of music and other temporal arts.
- To investigate the role of early infant-caregiver interactions in developing musical abilities.
- To explore the connection between communicative musicality, well-being, social resilience, and therapeutic practices.
Main Methods:
- Microanalyses of video and audio recordings of infant-caregiver interactions to examine vocalizations and body movements.
- Survey of historical discoveries related to infant abilities.
- Integration of insights from embodied cognition (Merleau-Ponty) and affective neuroscience (Panksepp).
Main Results:
- Infant-caregiver interactions reveal gestural narrative structures in voice and body, serving as foundational elements for music, dance, and theatre.
- Communicative musicality is identified as an innate human capacity, strengthened through sensitive and culturally informed teaching.
- Evidence suggests communicative musicality enhances social resilience, aids recovery from mental stress, and supports therapeutic relationships.
Conclusions:
- Innate communicative musicality, rooted in prospective environmental exploration and embodied action patterns, is central to human experience.
- Early social-musical interactions are crucial for developing cultural art forms and individual well-being.
- The psychobiological basis of musicality involves integrated brain rhythms guiding movement and affect, with implications for logic and philosophy.
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