1
00:00:00,113 --> 00:00:02,024
♪ (guitar music) ♪
2
00:00:02,024 --> 00:00:05,011
(Peter) These days,
you hear music all the time.
3
00:00:05,595 --> 00:00:09,401
It wakes us up, motivates our workouts,
4
00:00:09,401 --> 00:00:11,280
keeps us company on our commutes.
5
00:00:11,834 --> 00:00:13,832
It doesn't matter
what kind of music it is,
6
00:00:13,832 --> 00:00:17,234
music itself has the ability
to affect our moods and our bodies
7
00:00:17,234 --> 00:00:18,812
in all sorts of ways.
8
00:00:18,974 --> 00:00:22,136
We nod our heads, we sway, dance.
9
00:00:22,136 --> 00:00:23,500
Music can give us chills,
10
00:00:23,500 --> 00:00:24,916
even make us cry.
11
00:00:24,916 --> 00:00:28,775
Music activates every area
of the brain that we have so far mapped.
12
00:00:28,775 --> 00:00:30,942
There's no area of the brain we know about
13
00:00:30,942 --> 00:00:33,145
that music doesn't touch in some way.
14
00:00:33,145 --> 00:00:34,490
But what's behind all that?
15
00:00:34,490 --> 00:00:36,928
What exactly does music do to us?
16
00:00:37,204 --> 00:00:39,578
To find out, I went
to a whole series of tests
17
00:00:39,578 --> 00:00:41,831
designed to measure my responses to music.
18
00:00:42,592 --> 00:00:45,240
I met some kids whose brains
may actually be changing,
19
00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:48,122
thanks to those hours
of learning, practice, and performing.
20
00:00:48,523 --> 00:00:50,857
I spoke with a therapist who used music
21
00:00:50,857 --> 00:00:53,158
to help former congresswoman
Gabrielle Giffords
22
00:00:53,158 --> 00:00:54,770
learn to speak again,
23
00:00:54,770 --> 00:00:56,159
and got a glimpse inside the brain
24
00:00:56,159 --> 00:00:57,704
of a two-time Grammy-winning artist
25
00:00:57,704 --> 00:00:58,705
while he played...
26
00:00:58,705 --> 00:01:00,646
♪ (playing and singing) ♪
27
00:01:00,646 --> 00:01:03,153
...all to find out how music affects us.
28
00:01:05,217 --> 00:01:07,183
♪ (upbeat music) ♪
29
00:01:07,539 --> 00:01:09,941
So what's going on
when we listen to music?
30
00:01:09,941 --> 00:01:13,141
We visited the USC Brain
and Creativity Institute,
31
00:01:13,141 --> 00:01:15,665
where I had my head examined, literally,
32
00:01:15,665 --> 00:01:16,922
to try to figure it out.
33
00:01:16,922 --> 00:01:19,420
I'm going to go into this fMRI machine.
34
00:01:19,420 --> 00:01:21,289
A tiny tube will surround me.
35
00:01:21,289 --> 00:01:23,306
We'll get a baseline reading of my brain.
36
00:01:23,306 --> 00:01:25,191
Then I'm going to listen to some music,
37
00:01:25,191 --> 00:01:27,343
and we're going to see
how my brain responds.
38
00:01:27,343 --> 00:01:28,604
Just close your eyes, relax,
39
00:01:28,604 --> 00:01:30,765
and try and get into the music
as best you can, okay?
40
00:01:30,765 --> 00:01:31,889
♪ (classical music) ♪
41
00:01:31,889 --> 00:01:33,269
(Peter) And here's what we saw.
42
00:01:33,269 --> 00:01:34,591
These are scans of my brain.
43
00:01:34,591 --> 00:01:37,240
The areas in red are where
my activity is above average;
44
00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:38,507
in blue, below average.
45
00:01:38,507 --> 00:01:41,806
As you can see,
there's red activity all over my brain,
46
00:01:41,806 --> 00:01:43,826
not just in one specific area.
47
00:01:43,826 --> 00:01:45,040
(Daniel) Twenty-five years ago,
48
00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:48,076
the idea was that language
is on the left side of the brain
49
00:01:48,076 --> 00:01:50,106
and music is in
the right side of the brain.
50
00:01:50,106 --> 00:01:53,283
But now that we've got
better quality tools,
51
00:01:53,604 --> 00:01:57,435
higher resolution neuroimaging,
and better experimental methods,
52
00:01:57,845 --> 00:02:00,290
we've discovered that's not at all right.
53
00:02:00,290 --> 00:02:02,896
How does that play out
in different regions of the brain?
54
00:02:02,896 --> 00:02:04,910
When music enters
and then gets shuttled off
55
00:02:04,910 --> 00:02:06,328
to different parts of the brain,
56
00:02:06,328 --> 00:02:10,362
it stops at specialized processing units
in auditory cortex.
57
00:02:10,362 --> 00:02:12,663
They track loudness and pitch and rhythm
58
00:02:12,663 --> 00:02:14,929
and timbre and things like that.
59
00:02:14,929 --> 00:02:18,928
There's visual cortex activation
when you're reading music as a musician
60
00:02:18,928 --> 00:02:20,365
or watching music.
61
00:02:20,365 --> 00:02:22,560
Motor cortex
when you're tapping your feet,
62
00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:24,761
snapping your fingers,
clapping your hands.
63
00:02:24,761 --> 00:02:27,775
And cerebellum which mediates
the emotional responses.
64
00:02:27,775 --> 00:02:30,229
The memory system and the hippocampus,
65
00:02:30,229 --> 00:02:32,114
hearing a familiar passage,
66
00:02:32,114 --> 00:02:34,797
finding it somewhere in your memory banks.
67
00:02:34,797 --> 00:02:37,178
Music is going on
in both halves of your brain,
68
00:02:37,178 --> 00:02:39,194
the left and the right,
the front and the back,
69
00:02:39,194 --> 00:02:41,076
the inside and the outside.
70
00:02:41,756 --> 00:02:44,245
♪ (singing) ♪
71
00:02:44,862 --> 00:02:46,820
(Peter) So what about a musician's brain?
72
00:02:47,147 --> 00:02:50,111
To play a piece of music
engages so many things:
73
00:02:50,111 --> 00:02:52,255
motor systems, timing systems,
74
00:02:52,688 --> 00:02:55,180
memory systems, hearing systems.
75
00:02:55,180 --> 00:02:58,194
There's all sorts
of brain activity happening.
76
00:02:58,194 --> 00:03:00,857
It's a very robust thing to play music.
77
00:03:00,857 --> 00:03:04,645
♪ (Chopin, "Fantaisie-Impromptu") ♪
78
00:03:04,645 --> 00:03:05,949
I'm Alex Jacob Robertson.
79
00:03:05,949 --> 00:03:07,507
I'm Nathan Glenn Robertson.
80
00:03:07,507 --> 00:03:09,326
(Peter) We asked
these 11-year old musicians
81
00:03:09,326 --> 00:03:11,564
to tell us what's going through
their minds when they play.
82
00:03:11,564 --> 00:03:14,961
Some of the most important things
are, I think, good postures,
83
00:03:14,961 --> 00:03:16,490
getting the note right,
84
00:03:16,490 --> 00:03:18,978
legato, staccato.
85
00:03:18,978 --> 00:03:20,928
♪ (violin) ♪
86
00:03:21,512 --> 00:03:25,761
For the violin, you need to hold
your hand at the right place,
87
00:03:25,761 --> 00:03:28,078
and you need to be in tune,
88
00:03:28,078 --> 00:03:31,595
and then you also have to have
not only the right intonation
89
00:03:31,595 --> 00:03:33,114
but the right sound,
90
00:03:33,114 --> 00:03:35,625
and then you also need
to have great vibrato.
91
00:03:35,625 --> 00:03:37,397
There's lot of things to think about.
92
00:03:37,397 --> 00:03:38,574
(Peter) Back at USC,
93
00:03:38,574 --> 00:03:42,095
researchers have been studying kids
who play music over the past five years
94
00:03:42,095 --> 00:03:44,382
to see how it affects their development.
95
00:03:44,382 --> 00:03:48,111
The multi-tasking areas of their brains
understandably lit up,
96
00:03:48,111 --> 00:03:49,917
but they've seen other results, too.
97
00:03:49,917 --> 00:03:52,073
Music training
over the course of five years
98
00:03:52,073 --> 00:03:55,445
has had benefits in cognitive skills
and decision making,
99
00:03:55,445 --> 00:03:58,182
also had some benefits in social behavior,
100
00:03:58,182 --> 00:04:01,823
and we've also seen changes
in the associated brain structures.
101
00:04:01,823 --> 00:04:04,538
(Peter) Did you hear that?
Changes in brain structures!
102
00:04:04,538 --> 00:04:07,007
They found that the brains of children
who have studied music
103
00:04:07,007 --> 00:04:09,728
have stronger connections
between the left and right hemispheres,
104
00:04:09,728 --> 00:04:13,390
and that can make them better,
more creative problem-solvers.
105
00:04:13,390 --> 00:04:15,068
And then there's emotion.
106
00:04:15,536 --> 00:04:17,006
♪ (violin) ♪
107
00:04:18,744 --> 00:04:20,419
When you hear a piece like this...
108
00:04:20,419 --> 00:04:23,299
♪ (Saint-Saëns, "Le Cygne") ♪
109
00:04:23,299 --> 00:04:26,625
...it's easy to understand why emotions
play such a big part in music.
110
00:04:27,479 --> 00:04:29,712
This song by Camille Saint-Saëns
111
00:04:29,712 --> 00:04:32,355
is known as the music
for The Dying Swan in ballet.
112
00:04:33,878 --> 00:04:35,844
While it might move ballerinas to dance,
113
00:04:35,844 --> 00:04:38,065
it inspires different reactions in others.
114
00:04:38,195 --> 00:04:40,161
♪ (violin continues) ♪
115
00:04:43,595 --> 00:04:45,739
Some people get goosebumps, chills.
116
00:04:46,411 --> 00:04:48,319
That weird tingly sensation that you get
117
00:04:48,319 --> 00:04:51,084
when a great piece of music
just hits you in the right way?
118
00:04:51,084 --> 00:04:53,319
It's called frisson,
and not everyone gets it.
119
00:04:54,148 --> 00:04:55,822
But it turns out I do.
120
00:04:55,822 --> 00:04:59,010
Now we're going to have you listen
to some pieces of music.
121
00:04:59,010 --> 00:05:01,164
When you experience a chill, if you do,
122
00:05:01,164 --> 00:05:03,479
I want you to just press this space bar
so we have an indication
123
00:05:03,479 --> 00:05:06,767
of when those peak moments
of enjoyment are happening.
124
00:05:07,025 --> 00:05:09,862
(Peter) Matt Sachs,
a PhD candidate at USC,
125
00:05:09,862 --> 00:05:12,391
wired me up to measure
my physiological response.
126
00:05:12,972 --> 00:05:15,644
So when I'm feeling
that emotional connection
127
00:05:15,644 --> 00:05:18,055
that has a physical manifestation,
128
00:05:18,055 --> 00:05:20,258
we'll see what my body is actually doing?
129
00:05:20,258 --> 00:05:21,273
Exactly.
130
00:05:21,843 --> 00:05:25,159
♪ (Saint-Saëns, "Le Cygne") ♪
131
00:05:30,179 --> 00:05:31,530
Alright, how was that?
132
00:05:31,530 --> 00:05:33,553
That was-- That had a lot of them.
133
00:05:33,553 --> 00:05:34,617
We got them all.
134
00:05:34,617 --> 00:05:37,546
(Peter) Now full disclosure:
back in the day, I played the cello,
135
00:05:37,546 --> 00:05:40,802
which might have something to do
with why that particular song affected me.
136
00:05:40,802 --> 00:05:41,805
Nice hair!
137
00:05:41,805 --> 00:05:44,376
But it turns out the brain
is at work here too.
138
00:05:44,376 --> 00:05:46,627
We processed the difference
between this pathway
139
00:05:46,627 --> 00:05:50,146
that connects the auditory regions,
which is on the side of the brain here,
140
00:05:50,146 --> 00:05:51,394
to the emotional regions,
141
00:05:51,394 --> 00:05:54,627
and we showed that the tract
actually that connects those two regions
142
00:05:54,627 --> 00:05:55,769
is stronger.
143
00:05:55,769 --> 00:05:58,342
There's more fibers in that region
in people who get chills.
144
00:05:58,342 --> 00:05:59,709
(Peter) Which means
that some people's brains
145
00:05:59,709 --> 00:06:03,289
might have better communication
between what they hear and how they feel.
146
00:06:03,289 --> 00:06:05,543
The music itself also plays
a role in frisson.
147
00:06:05,543 --> 00:06:08,997
Sachs uses different songs in his lectures
to see if students get it.
148
00:06:08,997 --> 00:06:10,395
I'll say, "Raise your hand
when you get a chill,"
149
00:06:10,395 --> 00:06:11,897
and I play a piece of music,
a classical piece,
150
00:06:11,897 --> 00:06:13,599
and maybe half the people will get it.
151
00:06:13,599 --> 00:06:15,332
(Peter) But then he plays this...
152
00:06:15,332 --> 00:06:18,475
♪ (The Rolling Stones, "Gimme Shelter") ♪
153
00:06:18,475 --> 00:06:20,546
Rolling Stone's Gimme Shelter.
154
00:06:20,546 --> 00:06:22,533
Have you ever seen the movie
20 Feet from Stardom?
155
00:06:22,533 --> 00:06:24,416
- The documentary about backup singers?
- Yeah.
156
00:06:24,416 --> 00:06:27,983
There's a part where they isolate
the vocals from Gimme Shelter.
157
00:06:27,983 --> 00:06:30,792
♪ (backup vocals) ♪
158
00:06:35,580 --> 00:06:36,464
And I play that,
159
00:06:36,464 --> 00:06:38,347
and 90% of the people experience chills,
160
00:06:38,347 --> 00:06:40,014
sort of independent of where I go.
161
00:06:40,014 --> 00:06:42,797
I have to tell you, bringing that up
made me think about it
162
00:06:42,797 --> 00:06:46,213
and I got that little kind of thing
at the back of my neck.
163
00:06:46,213 --> 00:06:47,495
(Peter) But why would that happen?
164
00:06:47,495 --> 00:06:50,899
The high pitched notes that she hit
almost sounds like a scream
165
00:06:50,899 --> 00:06:53,428
and it's very important ancestrally for us
166
00:06:53,428 --> 00:06:54,912
to be able to pay attention to a scream,
167
00:06:54,912 --> 00:06:56,366
figure out what's going on,
168
00:06:56,366 --> 00:06:58,796
and either run or fight,
whatever we need to do.
169
00:06:58,796 --> 00:07:00,780
(Peter) So how come
that manifests as pleasure?
170
00:07:00,780 --> 00:07:02,983
Well it's because our pre-frontal cortex,
171
00:07:02,983 --> 00:07:05,546
the more rational, thinking part
of the brain kicks in.
172
00:07:05,546 --> 00:07:08,163
So you realize very quickly,
173
00:07:08,163 --> 00:07:10,880
after you have
this really quick startle reflex,
174
00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:13,530
that there's nothing actually threatening
about the piece of music,
175
00:07:13,530 --> 00:07:17,596
that you're sitting in a safe space
with your headphones on,
176
00:07:17,596 --> 00:07:19,264
and it's in that reappraisal
177
00:07:19,264 --> 00:07:22,129
that we tend to think
of the pleasure responses emerging.
178
00:07:22,129 --> 00:07:25,347
And whether you find listening to music
so pleasurable you get chills
179
00:07:25,347 --> 00:07:28,032
or you absolutely despise a song,
180
00:07:28,032 --> 00:07:31,146
it can produce absolutely
fascinating effects in the brain.
181
00:07:31,146 --> 00:07:33,129
According to [Levitan], music we enjoy
182
00:07:33,129 --> 00:07:35,716
triggers the brain's
internal opioid system--
183
00:07:35,716 --> 00:07:37,166
yes, opioid system.
184
00:07:37,166 --> 00:07:39,381
And just like the opioids
that come in pill form
185
00:07:39,381 --> 00:07:42,133
these chemicals make you feel good
and help relieve pain.
186
00:07:42,133 --> 00:07:44,904
And music you don't like?
Well, that releases cortisol,
187
00:07:44,904 --> 00:07:46,397
the notorious stress hormone.
188
00:07:46,397 --> 00:07:49,333
But that's not even the half of what music
can do in the brain.
189
00:07:49,333 --> 00:07:55,580
Can you turn on the lights?
190
00:07:55,580 --> 00:07:57,331
(Peter) When former Congresswomen
Gabrielle Giffords
191
00:07:57,331 --> 00:07:58,967
was shot in 2011
192
00:07:58,967 --> 00:08:01,149
the left side of her brain
was severely damaged,
193
00:08:01,149 --> 00:08:02,731
leaving her struggling to speak,
194
00:08:02,731 --> 00:08:04,533
a condition called aphasia.
195
00:08:04,533 --> 00:08:07,847
Gabby, are you frustrated?
196
00:08:07,847 --> 00:08:09,747
(Peter) But to get an idea
197
00:08:09,747 --> 00:08:12,635
of just how powerful
music's effect on the brain can be,
198
00:08:12,635 --> 00:08:13,848
watch this video.
199
00:08:13,848 --> 00:08:14,997
You ready?
200
00:08:14,997 --> 00:08:20,431
(together) This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine.
201
00:08:20,431 --> 00:08:22,380
(Peter) That word that she'd been
struggling to say, "light,"
202
00:08:22,380 --> 00:08:24,331
came easily in song.
203
00:08:24,331 --> 00:08:29,164
Why would she be able to sing a word
when she's unable to say it?
204
00:08:29,164 --> 00:08:30,797
What we know about the brain
205
00:08:30,797 --> 00:08:35,148
is that the left hemisphere
controls language,
206
00:08:35,148 --> 00:08:37,665
and there are many
other parts of the brain
207
00:08:37,665 --> 00:08:40,980
that have music access.
208
00:08:40,980 --> 00:08:42,797
Music therapist Maegan Morrow's job
209
00:08:42,797 --> 00:08:46,682
is to help patients use
those other pathways to regain language.
210
00:08:46,682 --> 00:08:49,481
Sometimes I compare it
to being in traffic,
211
00:08:49,481 --> 00:08:51,064
and you can't move any further,
212
00:08:51,064 --> 00:08:54,201
but you might need to exit
and take the feeder road
213
00:08:54,201 --> 00:08:56,680
to get you to your destination.
214
00:08:56,680 --> 00:09:00,514
So music is basically
like that feeder road
215
00:09:00,514 --> 00:09:01,882
to the new destination.
216
00:09:01,882 --> 00:09:03,050
(Peter) Like a detour.
217
00:09:03,050 --> 00:09:06,631
So we know that music
can help us relearn things like speech
218
00:09:06,631 --> 00:09:09,183
by accessing alternative
pathways in the brain
219
00:09:09,183 --> 00:09:12,330
and that learning to play music
can help strengthen brain connections.
220
00:09:12,330 --> 00:09:14,982
But what about making music?
221
00:09:14,982 --> 00:09:18,733
To make music is like--
222
00:09:18,733 --> 00:09:20,397
it's the language of humanity.
223
00:09:20,397 --> 00:09:22,114
No matter where I go in the world,
224
00:09:22,114 --> 00:09:23,582
if I'm playing something,
225
00:09:23,582 --> 00:09:25,300
it doesn't matter if someone
can't speak the language--
226
00:09:25,300 --> 00:09:28,580
if they're into it, they're into it.
227
00:09:28,580 --> 00:09:32,150
(Peter) This is Xavier Dphrepaulezz,
better known as Fantastic Negrito.
228
00:09:32,150 --> 00:09:35,831
We brought him to UCSF
to meet Charles Limb,
229
00:09:35,831 --> 00:09:38,347
a neuroscientist
who studies musical creativity.
230
00:09:38,347 --> 00:09:39,449
The Duffler's up next.
231
00:09:39,449 --> 00:09:41,815
(Peter) To understand
how Fantastic Negrito's brain works
232
00:09:41,815 --> 00:09:42,916
when making music,
233
00:09:42,916 --> 00:09:46,484
Dr. Limb had him play on of his songs
while going through the fMRI.
234
00:09:46,484 --> 00:09:51,881
(Fantastic Negrito singing)
235
00:09:51,881 --> 00:09:53,981
(Peter) So how did his brain respond?
236
00:09:53,981 --> 00:09:56,916
The areas that process sensory
and motor skills, along with sounds,
237
00:09:56,916 --> 00:09:57,733
lit up.
238
00:09:57,733 --> 00:09:59,614
You can see them here in red and yellow.
239
00:09:59,614 --> 00:10:00,980
Makes sense, right?
240
00:10:00,980 --> 00:10:02,684
But here's the really interesting part.
241
00:10:02,684 --> 00:10:04,168
Limb asked him to improvise
242
00:10:04,168 --> 00:10:07,200
to see what happens when he's creating
something totally original.
243
00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:10,481
(Fantastic Negrito singing)
244
00:10:18,382 --> 00:10:19,698
Now watch what happens to his brain?
245
00:10:19,698 --> 00:10:20,399
Stop!
246
00:10:20,399 --> 00:10:21,035
(laughter)
247
00:10:21,035 --> 00:10:22,185
Now watch what happens to his brain.
248
00:10:22,185 --> 00:10:23,651
The areas that were active before,
249
00:10:23,651 --> 00:10:25,385
the ones that deal
with motor skills and sounds,
250
00:10:25,385 --> 00:10:26,835
are even more active.
251
00:10:26,835 --> 00:10:29,384
But see how there's way more blue
in the front of his brain?
252
00:10:29,384 --> 00:10:30,835
That's the pre-frontal cortex,
253
00:10:30,835 --> 00:10:32,751
and it's associated
with effortful planning
254
00:10:32,751 --> 00:10:34,516
and conscience self-monitoring,
255
00:10:34,516 --> 00:10:36,968
and it's blue because it's less active.
256
00:10:36,968 --> 00:10:38,215
We see that the pre-frontal cortex
257
00:10:38,215 --> 00:10:42,052
appears to be really shutting down
in these moments of high creativity,
258
00:10:42,052 --> 00:10:46,249
kind of like letting of of these conscious
self-censoring or self-monitoring areas
259
00:10:46,249 --> 00:10:50,481
that normally are there
to help control our output.
260
00:10:50,481 --> 00:10:52,767
(Peter) And Limb says
it's about more than just letting go.
261
00:10:52,767 --> 00:10:55,898
You view it
from a perspective of survival.
262
00:10:55,898 --> 00:10:58,832
If human beings only could do
memorized route responses,
263
00:10:58,832 --> 00:11:00,318
we'd be long gone.
264
00:11:00,318 --> 00:11:04,132
It is not just the thing that happens
in clubs and in jazz bars,
265
00:11:04,132 --> 00:11:06,665
it's actually maybe
the most fundamental form
266
00:11:06,665 --> 00:11:08,151
of what it means to be human,
267
00:11:08,151 --> 00:11:09,266
to come up with new ideas.
268
00:11:09,266 --> 00:11:11,931
(singing)
269
00:11:15,231 --> 00:11:18,234
(Peter) So music is so much more
than notes on a page.
270
00:11:18,234 --> 00:11:21,199
It can change the way we think
and speak and feel.
271
00:11:21,199 --> 00:11:24,466
But is there a limit
to what science can tell us about music?
272
00:11:24,466 --> 00:11:26,767
Just when I discovered
the answer to one thing,
273
00:11:26,767 --> 00:11:30,664
five new questions pop up
that are more interesting than the first,
274
00:11:30,664 --> 00:11:33,182
and I've gained an appreciation
275
00:11:33,182 --> 00:11:39,048
for how complex the music-making
and music-listening system is.
276
00:11:39,048 --> 00:11:41,064
It's not demystified for me at all.
277
00:11:41,064 --> 00:11:43,364
It's more mysterious than ever.
278
00:11:43,364 --> 00:11:45,465
(singing)
279
00:11:57,515 --> 00:11:59,732
(applause)