I've been interested in the question of "why is music pleasurable" for some time now and can't really come up with any reason that sounds plausable to me. As humans we have the ability to create and apreciate music, an ability that, as to my knowledge, no other creature on earth shares. So I have to ask, "why music"? Now, if you ascribe to the theory of evolution as I do, then the question becomes even more complicated. Because there must then have been a point in human history when there was no music. So music then arose during the course of human development and has enjoyed a place in every culture around the world. I will stop here in the interest of hearing some other peoples thoughts before I share some of my own.

Why is music pleasurable?


Well, now...(thinks)...I think its how music sounds...lyrics, and what causes/creates music. I think what also makes music pleasurable because it puts our mind at ease, or makes us amped, or makes us think. In all honesty, I'm not really sure why we were drawn to music in the first place, but I thought I take a stab at it. Nice and interesting topic, MrSkribbles

What I want to know more is why does some music sound good to one person, but bad to another? Just like how one person hates one particular taste/smell but another person likes that particular taste/smell.

Rythm.

When you're in the womb your entire world is the regular, rythmical beating of your mother's heart, as well as your own heart in time.

We are born with rythm, and so hearing it reminds us of that and hence is pleasurable. That's why the only thing that binds all music together is the repeating rythm - the time signature. Whether you're listening to heavy metal or classical music it all has a basic repeating rythm to it.

In th womb, the outside world is percieved only through noise and the shapes of sound - that's what forms the rest of music. It's why you can listen to a song, enjoy it, but not neccessarily understand all of the words - especially if they're in a foreign language, you can still enjoy it.

Of course not all music is pleasurable, because we all have personal taste that shapes our perception of the non-rythm based parts of a a son. But if you take all of those additional frills away and just play the parts of the noise that form its core rythm, then everyone will enjoy it.

Music invokes emotions, something rather unique to humans. Depending on what music is heard, a type of music will appeal to one but may not to another as negative emotions are surfaced maybe from subconscious memories? Like someone not liking pop punk as it brings memories of Avril, similarly how any emo song will merit to Evanescence. Whenever I hear country, I remember Kenny Rogers, which is pleasurable to me because I remember his good chicken.

I dunno why music is so pleasurable. All i kno is that music calms you down and improves your performance in othr tasks. I guess it's good cos it invokes strong feeling and i guess mebbe some hormone gets secreted and that calms us down and we feel lot more content aftr dat.

Anyway dont listen to me cos whatevr i say usually is wrong anyway. lol

Oh...well this is a hard one. I guess it makes you think a bit? Or day dream rather for me. I like it b/c soemtimes it realates to me or sometimes I like the story it tells or makes me think of. Its also great b/c i work better. It helps me in a way at times. If I'm upset about somethingI'd listen to music so i guess it can be soothing.

Music can make you feel better or worst (I heard blues is not for making people feel better but is for making them feel a little bit less well as you). Music can be relaxing.
Music can make people reunited and make a fest.
Music can make 2 people come closer.
These are a few things which make music pleasurable but the real why ?
It's a feeling like love that you can not explain so easily.
It's the same as the question why so much people like chocolate and eat it when they're sad or ...

In my opinion, music is pleasurable for us since we live in the world full with music.
why? for me..music exists everywhere...be it the russle of the leaves, raindrops..etc..etc...and basically..music starts from noices..i can say that noices that are pleasure to us.
well..i agree with trismusgistus that rythm is one of the main element.
without rythm...everything will be like not in the order...
and music...is made up of the combination of noises and rythm.
so...a type of music may be nice for certain people cause we have different taste...
some may prefer rock..some classical...but...all of them starts with the sound and ryhtm..XD
lastly...we may like certain type of music according to our mood...
when you are happy..maybe music such as rock, pop..or etc may not sound bad to you..on the other hand...if you are mad...do you wanna listen to that noisy stuff?
it is based on your emotion sometimes if a piece of music is pleasure or not.
hope i'm not out of the topic...

Like reesha, I also believe that music is around us from the gentle waves of the sea to the full volume of a tantruming brat XD... Our sense of hearing is sensitive to emotions, we don't need to hear the lyrics for us to know what that certain song is all about. Like listening to the opera, you will feel like cyring even if you can't understand it, because you feel the emotion pouring out of the music and the opera singer.

Music can magnify emotions if you want angst, just listen to really hardcore rock and you can wreck havoc to some poor fellow ;p if your heartbroken and want to cry for 3 weeks, just listen to some power ballads and if you lack confidence , just listen and sing-along to "the eye of the tiger" den...den,den,den XD

Maybe that's why some music doesn't sound good to us because it lack that emotion we want to feel or unconsciously looking for...hmmm

Sounds are always surrounding us, from the first human being, sounds were the essential thing to really tell us what is going on, hence the development of communication, of tribes music from ancient times, of war drums later on, of identifying animal callings, mating calls, etc.
These are the essentials of sound and surrounding, and overtime, the developing human race developed what is known as music, to beautify those sounds and turn them into music.
It is like many post above me, the essential.
Just like the hymn of the sea, the sound of the wind and sea of vacuum within a cone shell, the sound of rippling waves, and flowing water, it is the sounds that really channel through our systems, perhaps one of the many left down original human senses that actually remain up till today and constantly maintained.

I believe we feel pleasure when these sounds of beautified aspects are played, which reflect our inner senses, anger, fear, happiness, loathe, love, and so on, to reflect onto our senses, that of which becomes an essential feeling for us to amplify our feelings and so on.

But of course, again, if you want to know, this is just qualitative answers, the more accurate answer comes from Prince: " don't try to listen to music, listen to it "