Scientists surprised by the hidden reaction of the body to music

An international team of scientists has found that listening to music affects a person not only in the form of a desire to tap one's foot or nod one's head. Even involuntary movements, such as blinking, can synchronize with the rhythm of a musical piece. This effect occurs without conscious participation and indicates a direct connection between the auditory system and the motor areas of the brain responsible for eye movements.

As reported by BAKU,WS, the study was published in the journal PLOS Biology.

Auditory-motor synchronization is considered one of the key features of humans and is rarely found in other animals. Previously, only intentional movements were studied - for example, when a person adjusts their step to the rhythm of music. Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong decided to check whether this mechanism extends to automatic reactions.

In a series of experiments, participants were asked to listen to Bach chorales while simply sitting in front of a blank screen. High-precision cameras recorded blinks, while EEG recordings were simultaneously conducted. Analysis showed that blinks coincided with beats, and synchronization was observed in all participants - even those who did not like the music. EEG confirmed that the brain predicted the moment of the next blink in advance and adjusted it to the rhythm.

Separate MRI scans showed the anatomical basis of the phenomenon: the accuracy of synchronization depended on the structure of the superior longitudinal fasciculus, which connects the auditory cortex with movement planning areas. Participants with more developed connections had blinks that matched the rhythm more precisely.

The synchronization disappeared when attention was switched to a visual task, confirming that the reaction is not a simple reflex. For a connection between rhythm and eye movements to occur, the brain must concentrate on the audio stream.

According to study author Yi Du, blinks could become a new tool for assessing rhythmic perception, as this is an involuntary reaction that is easily registered without complex equipment. In the future, such an approach could help in the early diagnosis of rhythmic processing disorders, such as dyslexia or Parkinson's disease.