Few activities engage the brain as fully as music. Listening alone activates the regions that process sound, but also those involved in movement, memory, emotion, and prediction, as the mind constantly guesses what note will come next and rewards itself when it is right. Playing an instrument goes further, demanding fine motor control, reading, and timing all at once, and studies show that musicians often have stronger connections between the two halves of the brain. Music can raise levels of dopamine, the same chemical released by food and other pleasures, which helps explain the chills a favorite passage can send down the spine.
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