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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 13, 2025

Eliciting and Analyzing Male Mouse Ultrasonic Vocalization USV Songs
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Musicality in human vocal communication: an evolutionary perspective.

Juan David Leongómez1, Jan Havlíček2, S Craig Roberts3

  • 1Human Behaviour Lab, Faculty of Psychology, Universidad El Bosque, Bogota, Colombia.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
|November 15, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Musicality evolved from vocal communication to aid parent-infant bonding. This capacity, crucial for infant-directed speech (IDS), also influences adult communication and music today.

Keywords:
acoustic communicationevolutioninfant-directed speechmusicmusicalityvoice modulation

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Cognitive science
  • Linguistics

Background:

  • Vocal modulations, similar to infant-directed speech (IDS) and music, are vital for social interaction.
  • These modulations facilitate communication of intentions and mental states.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a model for the evolution of musicality in relation to human vocal communication.
  • To explore the role of sociality and bonding in the development of musicality-related abilities.

Main Methods:

  • Integration of multiple existing theories on musicality and communication.
  • Comparative analysis framework for testing the model in other species based on sociality and vocal communication complexity.

Main Results:

  • A complex social environment with strong social bonds likely promoted musicality.
  • Parent-infant bonds, particularly due to infant altriciality, may have been a key factor in musicality's evolution.
  • Musicality's role extends beyond music to IDS and some adult-directed speech.

Conclusions:

  • Musicality originally evolved to enhance parent-infant communication and bonding.
  • This capacity continues to play a significant role in various forms of human vocal communication, including music and speech.