Music and the Lizard Brain

This week in my theory class, my theory professor brought up something called the "lizard brain". The lizard brain is the primitive, decision making part in our brain.   

The best way to understand this part of the brain is outlined in an article written by Sherry Chiger, "Selling Online to the Lizard Brain".".. this sector of the brain thrives on familiarity. It equates familiarity with safety.." Chiger also brings attention to the fact that the lizard brain makes quick decisions, is emotional over intellectual, and likes beginning and ends. 

Though this article relates to marketing\advertising, it helps bring light to how the lizard brain affects our everyday lives, and how important of a role it plays in influencing our decisions, intuition, and feelings. 

How does this apply to music? What my theory professor brought up was how the lizard brain plays a part in our anticipation of music -- For example, a dominant, or V, chord naturally wants to lead to the tonic, because it contains the leading tone. When it doesn't lead to the tonic, or I, chord, the lizard brain is unsettled. There are general conventions in music that dictate certain sounds lead to a certain set of others, and these are tied into the expectations of our lizard brain.  

This connection to the lizard brain may just describe why music is very often described as indescribable  and why music is an emotionally engaging activity for most people. 

Works Cited

Chiger, Sherry. "Selling Online to the Lizard Brain." Direct : Magazine of Direct Marketing (2010)ABI/INFORM Complete. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.