Live Music Stimulates the Brain More Than Recorded Songs

Live music triggers a higher emotional response and imagination.

A new study finds music listeners receive more brain stimulation when listening to live music…compared to listening to a recorded track. Researchers looked at MRI brain scans of 27 people while they listened to a pianist playing live music. The participants then listened to a recorded version of the same song. The study found live music triggers a higher emotional response and imagination. Researchers say live music’s stimulation of the brain shows a “strong emotional processing in the affective and cognitive parts of the brain.” The study could not pinpoint if the venue made a difference.