0:00:00.113,0:00:02.024
♪ (guitar music) ♪
0:00:02.024,0:00:05.011
(Peter) These days, [br]you hear music all the time.
0:00:05.595,0:00:09.401
It wakes us up, motivates our workouts,
0:00:09.401,0:00:11.280
keeps us company on our commutes.
0:00:11.834,0:00:13.832
It doesn't matter[br]what kind of music it is,
0:00:13.832,0:00:17.234
music itself has the ability[br]to affect our moods and our bodies
0:00:17.234,0:00:18.812
in all sorts of ways.
0:00:18.974,0:00:22.136
We nod our heads, we sway, dance.
0:00:22.136,0:00:23.500
Music can give us chills,
0:00:23.500,0:00:24.916
even make us cry.
0:00:24.916,0:00:28.775
Music activates every area[br]of the brain that we have so far mapped.
0:00:28.775,0:00:30.942
There's no area of the brain we know about
0:00:30.942,0:00:33.145
that music doesn't touch in some way.
0:00:33.145,0:00:34.490
But what's behind all that?
0:00:34.490,0:00:36.928
What exactly does music do to us?
0:00:37.204,0:00:39.578
To find out, I went[br]to a whole series of tests
0:00:39.578,0:00:41.831
designed to measure my responses to music.
0:00:42.592,0:00:45.240
I met some kids whose brains[br]may actually be changing,
0:00:45.240,0:00:48.122
thanks to those hours[br]of learning, practice, and performing.
0:00:48.523,0:00:50.857
I spoke with a therapist who used music
0:00:50.857,0:00:53.158
to help former congresswoman[br]Gabrielle Giffords
0:00:53.158,0:00:54.770
learn to speak again,
0:00:54.770,0:00:56.159
and got a glimpse inside the brain
0:00:56.159,0:00:57.704
of a two-time Grammy-winning artist
0:00:57.704,0:00:58.705
while he played...
0:00:58.705,0:01:00.646
♪ (playing and singing) ♪
0:01:00.646,0:01:03.153
...all to find out how music affects us.
0:01:05.217,0:01:07.183
♪ (upbeat music) ♪
0:01:07.539,0:01:09.941
So what's going on[br]when we listen to music?
0:01:09.941,0:01:13.141
We visited the USC Brain[br]and Creativity Institute,
0:01:13.141,0:01:15.665
where I had my head examined, literally,
0:01:15.665,0:01:16.922
to try to figure it out.
0:01:16.922,0:01:19.420
I'm going to go into this fMRI machine.
0:01:19.420,0:01:21.289
A tiny tube will surround me.
0:01:21.289,0:01:23.306
We'll get a baseline reading of my brain.
0:01:23.306,0:01:25.191
Then I'm going to listen to some music,
0:01:25.191,0:01:27.343
and we're going to see[br]how my brain responds.
0:01:27.343,0:01:28.604
Just close your eyes, relax,
0:01:28.604,0:01:30.765
and try and get into the music[br]as best you can, okay?
0:01:30.765,0:01:31.889
♪ (classical music) ♪
0:01:31.889,0:01:33.269
(Peter) And here's what we saw.
0:01:33.269,0:01:34.591
These are scans of my brain.
0:01:34.591,0:01:37.240
The areas in red are where[br]my activity is above average;
0:01:37.240,0:01:38.507
in blue, below average.
0:01:38.507,0:01:41.806
As you can see, [br]there's red activity all over my brain,
0:01:41.806,0:01:43.826
not just in one specific area.
0:01:43.826,0:01:45.040
(Daniel) Twenty-five years ago,
0:01:45.040,0:01:48.076
the idea was that language[br]is on the left side of the brain
0:01:48.076,0:01:50.106
and music is in[br]the right side of the brain.
0:01:50.106,0:01:53.283
But now that we've got[br]better quality tools,
0:01:53.604,0:01:57.435
higher resolution neuroimaging,[br]and better experimental methods,
0:01:57.845,0:02:00.290
we've discovered that's not at all right.
0:02:00.290,0:02:02.896
How does that play out[br]in different regions of the brain?
0:02:02.896,0:02:04.910
When music enters[br]and then gets shuttled off
0:02:04.910,0:02:06.328
to different parts of the brain,
0:02:06.328,0:02:10.362
it stops at specialized processing units[br]in auditory cortex.
0:02:10.362,0:02:12.663
They track loudness and pitch and rhythm
0:02:12.663,0:02:14.929
and timbre and things like that.
0:02:14.929,0:02:18.928
There's visual cortex activation[br]when you're reading music as a musician
0:02:18.928,0:02:20.365
or watching music.
0:02:20.365,0:02:22.560
Motor cortex[br]when you're tapping your feet,
0:02:22.560,0:02:24.761
snapping your fingers, [br]clapping your hands.
0:02:24.761,0:02:27.775
And cerebellum which mediates[br]the emotional responses.
0:02:27.775,0:02:30.229
The memory system and the hippocampus,
0:02:30.229,0:02:32.114
hearing a familiar passage,
0:02:32.114,0:02:34.797
finding it somewhere in your memory banks.
0:02:34.797,0:02:37.178
Music is going on[br]in both halves of your brain,
0:02:37.178,0:02:39.194
the left and the right,[br]the front and the back,
0:02:39.194,0:02:41.076
the inside and the outside.
0:02:41.756,0:02:44.245
♪ (singing) ♪
0:02:44.862,0:02:46.820
(Peter) So what about a musician's brain?
0:02:47.147,0:02:50.111
To play a piece of music[br]engages so many things:
0:02:50.111,0:02:52.255
motor systems, timing systems,
0:02:52.688,0:02:55.180
memory systems, hearing systems.
0:02:55.180,0:02:58.194
There's all sorts[br]of brain activity happening.
0:02:58.194,0:03:00.857
It's a very robust thing to play music.
0:03:00.857,0:03:04.645
♪ (Chopin, "Fantaisie-Impromptu") ♪
0:03:04.645,0:03:05.949
I'm Alex Jacob Robertson.
0:03:05.949,0:03:07.507
I'm Nathan Glenn Robertson.
0:03:07.507,0:03:09.326
(Peter) We asked[br]these 11-year old musicians
0:03:09.326,0:03:11.564
to tell us what's going through[br]their minds when they play.
0:03:11.564,0:03:14.961
Some of the most important things[br]are, I think, good postures,
0:03:14.961,0:03:16.490
getting the note right,
0:03:16.490,0:03:18.978
legato, staccato.
0:03:18.978,0:03:20.928
♪ (violin) ♪
0:03:21.512,0:03:25.761
For the violin, you need to hold[br]your hand at the right place,
0:03:25.761,0:03:28.078
and you need to be in tune,
0:03:28.078,0:03:31.595
and then you also have to have[br]not only the right intonation
0:03:31.595,0:03:33.114
but the right sound,
0:03:33.114,0:03:35.625
and then you also need[br]to have great vibrato.
0:03:35.625,0:03:37.397
There's lot of things to think about.
0:03:37.397,0:03:38.574
(Peter) Back at USC,
0:03:38.574,0:03:42.095
researchers have been studying kids[br]who play music over the past five years
0:03:42.095,0:03:44.382
to see how it affects their development.
0:03:44.382,0:03:48.111
The multi-tasking areas of their brains[br]understandably lit up,
0:03:48.111,0:03:49.917
but they've seen other results, too.
0:03:49.917,0:03:52.073
Music training[br]over the course of five years
0:03:52.073,0:03:55.445
has had benefits in cognitive skills[br]and decision making,
0:03:55.445,0:03:58.182
also had some benefits in social behavior,
0:03:58.182,0:04:01.823
and we've also seen changes[br]in the associated brain structures.
0:04:01.823,0:04:04.538
(Peter) Did you hear that?[br]Changes in brain structures!
0:04:04.538,0:04:07.007
They found that the brains of children[br]who have studied music
0:04:07.007,0:04:09.728
have stronger connections[br]between the left and right hemispheres,
0:04:09.728,0:04:13.390
and that can make them better,[br]more creative problem-solvers.
0:04:13.390,0:04:15.068
And then there's emotion.
0:04:15.536,0:04:17.006
♪ (violin) ♪
0:04:18.744,0:04:20.419
When you hear a piece like this...
0:04:20.419,0:04:23.299
♪ (Saint-Saëns, "Le Cygne") ♪
0:04:23.299,0:04:26.625
...it's easy to understand why emotions[br]play such a big part in music.
0:04:27.479,0:04:29.712
This song by Camille Saint-Saëns
0:04:29.712,0:04:32.355
is known as the music[br]for The Dying Swan in ballet.
0:04:33.878,0:04:35.844
While it might move ballerinas to dance,
0:04:35.844,0:04:38.065
it inspires different reactions in others.
0:04:38.195,0:04:40.161
♪ (violin continues) ♪
0:04:43.595,0:04:45.739
Some people get goosebumps, chills.
0:04:46.411,0:04:48.319
That weird tingly sensation that you get
0:04:48.319,0:04:51.084
when a great piece of music[br]just hits you in the right way?
0:04:51.084,0:04:53.319
It's called frisson, [br]and not everyone gets it.
0:04:54.148,0:04:55.822
But it turns out I do.
0:04:55.822,0:04:59.010
Now we're going to have you listen[br]to some pieces of music.
0:04:59.010,0:05:01.164
When you experience a chill, if you do,
0:05:01.164,0:05:03.479
I want you to just press this space bar[br]so we have an indication
0:05:03.479,0:05:06.767
of when those peak moments[br]of enjoyment are happening.
0:05:07.025,0:05:09.862
(Peter) Matt Sachs, [br]a PhD candidate at USC,
0:05:09.862,0:05:12.391
wired me up to measure[br]my physiological response.
0:05:12.972,0:05:15.644
So when I'm feeling[br]that emotional connection
0:05:15.644,0:05:18.055
that has a physical manifestation,
0:05:18.055,0:05:20.258
we'll see what my body is actually doing?
0:05:20.258,0:05:21.273
Exactly.
0:05:21.843,0:05:25.159
♪ (Saint-Saëns, "Le Cygne") ♪
0:05:30.179,0:05:31.530
Alright, how was that?
0:05:31.530,0:05:33.553
That was-- That had a lot of them.
0:05:33.553,0:05:34.617
We got them all.
0:05:34.617,0:05:37.546
(Peter) Now full disclosure:[br]back in the day, I played the cello,
0:05:37.546,0:05:40.802
which might have something to do[br]with why that particular song affected me.
0:05:40.802,0:05:41.805
Nice hair!
0:05:41.805,0:05:44.376
But it turns out the brain[br]is at work here too.
0:05:44.376,0:05:46.627
We processed the difference[br]between this pathway
0:05:46.627,0:05:50.146
that connects the auditory regions,[br]which is on the side of the brain here,
0:05:50.146,0:05:51.394
to the emotional regions,
0:05:51.394,0:05:54.627
and we showed that the tract[br]actually that connects those two regions
0:05:54.627,0:05:55.769
is stronger.
0:05:55.769,0:05:58.342
There's more fibers in that region[br]in people who get chills.
0:05:58.342,0:05:59.709
(Peter) Which means[br]that some people's brains
0:05:59.709,0:06:03.289
might have better communication[br]between what they hear and how they feel.
0:06:03.289,0:06:05.543
The music itself also plays[br]a role in frisson.
0:06:05.543,0:06:08.997
Sachs uses different songs in his lectures[br]to see if students get it.
0:06:08.997,0:06:10.395
I'll say, "Raise your hand[br]when you get a chill,"
0:06:10.395,0:06:11.897
and I play a piece of music, [br]a classical piece,
0:06:11.897,0:06:13.599
and maybe half the people will get it.
0:06:13.599,0:06:15.332
(Peter) But then he plays this...
0:06:15.332,0:06:18.475
♪ (The Rolling Stones, "Gimme Shelter") ♪
0:06:18.475,0:06:20.546
Rolling Stone's Gimme Shelter.
0:06:20.546,0:06:22.533
Have you ever seen the movie[br]20 Feet from Stardom?
0:06:22.533,0:06:24.416
- The documentary about backup singers?[br]- Yeah.
0:06:24.416,0:06:27.983
There's a part where they isolate[br]the vocals from Gimme Shelter.
0:06:27.983,0:06:30.792
♪ (backup vocals) ♪
0:06:35.580,0:06:38.347
I play that, and 90%[br]of the people experience chills,
0:06:38.347,0:06:40.014
sort of independent of where I go.
0:06:40.014,0:06:42.797
I have to tell you, bringing that up[br]made me think about it
0:06:42.797,0:06:46.133
and I got that little kind of thing[br]at the back of my neck.
0:06:46.133,0:06:47.575
(Peter) But why would that happen?
0:06:47.575,0:06:51.426
The high-pitched notes that she hit[br]almost sounds like a scream,
0:06:51.426,0:06:53.585
and it's very important ancestrally for us
0:06:53.585,0:06:56.392
to be able to pay attention to a scream,[br]figure out what's going on,
0:06:56.392,0:06:58.885
and either run or fight, [br]whatever we need to do.
0:06:58.885,0:07:00.780
(Peter) So how come[br]that manifests as pleasure?
0:07:00.780,0:07:02.983
Well it's because our pre-frontal cortex,
0:07:02.983,0:07:05.721
the more rational thinking part[br]of the brain kicks in.
0:07:05.721,0:07:08.413
So you realize very quickly,
0:07:08.413,0:07:11.285
after you have[br]this really quick startle reflex,
0:07:11.285,0:07:13.610
that there's nothing actually threatening[br]about the piece of music,
0:07:13.610,0:07:17.615
that you're sitting in a safe space[br]with your headphones on,
0:07:18.032,0:07:19.451
and it's in that reappraisal
0:07:19.451,0:07:22.309
that we tend to think[br]of the pleasureable responses emerging.
0:07:22.309,0:07:25.718
And whether you find listening to music[br]so pleasurable you get chills
0:07:25.718,0:07:28.032
or you absolutely despise a song,
0:07:28.032,0:07:31.236
it can produce absolutely[br]fascinating effects in the brain.
0:07:31.236,0:07:33.272
According to [Levitan], music we enjoy
0:07:33.272,0:07:35.798
triggers the brain's[br]internal opioid system--
0:07:35.798,0:07:37.305
yes, opioid system.
0:07:37.305,0:07:39.381
Just like the opioids[br]that come in pill form,
0:07:39.381,0:07:42.133
these chemicals make you feel good[br]and help relieve pain.
0:07:42.133,0:07:44.904
And music you don't like? [br]Well, that releases cortisol,
0:07:44.904,0:07:46.521
the notorious stress hormone.
0:07:46.521,0:07:49.440
But that's not even half[br]of what music can do in the brain.
0:07:49.440,0:07:53.613
- Can you turn on the l-l-l-l-lights?[br]- L-l-l-l...
0:07:53.613,0:07:54.896
merry chicken.
0:07:55.580,0:07:58.917
(Peter) When former Congresswomen[br]Gabrielle Giffords was shot in 2011,
0:07:58.917,0:08:01.179
the left side of her brain[br]was severely damaged,
0:08:01.179,0:08:02.731
leaving her struggling to speak,
0:08:02.731,0:08:04.533
a condition called aphasia.
0:08:04.533,0:08:05.817
(whimpering)
0:08:05.817,0:08:07.288
Gabby, are you frustrated?
0:08:08.999,0:08:10.997
(Peter) But to get an idea[br]of just how powerful
0:08:10.997,0:08:12.697
music's effect on the brain can be,
0:08:12.697,0:08:13.848
watch this video.
0:08:13.848,0:08:14.997
You ready?
0:08:14.997,0:08:19.776
(both) ♪ This little light of mine,[br]I'm gonna let it shine ♪
0:08:19.776,0:08:22.380
(Peter) That word that she'd been[br]struggling to say, "light,"
0:08:22.380,0:08:24.331
came easily in song.
0:08:24.331,0:08:29.164
Why would she be able to sing a word[br]when she's unable to say it?
0:08:29.164,0:08:30.797
What we know about the brain
0:08:30.797,0:08:35.148
is that the left hemisphere[br]controls language,
0:08:35.148,0:08:37.919
and there are many[br]other parts of the brain
0:08:37.919,0:08:40.980
that have music access.
0:08:40.980,0:08:42.920
(Peter) Music therapist[br]Maegan Morrow's job
0:08:42.920,0:08:46.682
is to help patients use[br]those other pathways to regain language.
0:08:46.682,0:08:49.481
(Maegan) Sometimes I compare it[br]to being in traffic,
0:08:49.481,0:08:51.309
and you can't move any further,
0:08:51.309,0:08:54.503
but you might need to exit[br]and take a feeder road
0:08:54.503,0:08:56.801
to get you to your destination.
0:08:56.801,0:09:00.514
So music is basically[br]like that feeder road
0:09:00.514,0:09:02.026
to the new destination.
0:09:02.026,0:09:03.692
(Peter) Like a detour.
0:09:03.692,0:09:06.631
So we know that music[br]can help us relearn things like speech
0:09:06.631,0:09:09.183
by accessing alternative[br]pathways in the brain
0:09:09.183,0:09:12.468
and that learning to play music[br]can help strengthen brain connections.
0:09:12.468,0:09:14.309
But what about making music?
0:09:14.615,0:09:16.675
♪ (upbeat music) ♪
0:09:17.262,0:09:18.733
To make music is like--
0:09:18.733,0:09:20.544
it's the language of humanity.
0:09:20.544,0:09:22.314
No matter where I go in the world,
0:09:22.314,0:09:23.723
man, if I'm playing something,
0:09:23.723,0:09:25.300
it doesn't matter if someone[br]can't speak the language--
0:09:25.300,0:09:27.020
if they're into it, they're into it.
0:09:28.273,0:09:32.168
(Peter) This is Xavier Dphrepaulezz,[br]better known as Fantastic Negrito.
0:09:33.401,0:09:35.831
We brought him to UCSF[br]to meet Charles Limb,
0:09:35.831,0:09:38.347
a neuroscientist[br]who studies musical creativity.
0:09:38.347,0:09:39.495
The Duffler's up next.
0:09:39.495,0:09:41.855
(Peter) To understand[br]how Fantastic Negrito's brain works
0:09:41.855,0:09:43.051
when he's making music,
0:09:43.051,0:09:46.484
Dr. Limb had him play on of his songs[br]while going through the fMRI.
0:09:46.484,0:09:51.881
♪ (Fantastic Negrito singing) ♪
0:09:51.881,0:09:53.640
(Peter) So how did his brain respond?
0:09:53.981,0:09:56.876
The areas that process sensory[br]and motor skills, along with sounds,
0:09:56.876,0:09:57.883
lit up.
0:09:57.883,0:10:00.980
You can see them here in red and yellow.[br]Makes sense, right?
0:10:00.980,0:10:02.684
But here's the really interesting part.
0:10:02.684,0:10:04.168
Limb asked him to improvise
0:10:04.168,0:10:07.200
to see what happens when he's creating[br]something totally original.
0:10:07.200,0:10:10.481
♪ (Fantastic Negrito singing) ♪
0:10:13.931,0:10:14.431
♪ Like Star Wars in my head ♪
0:10:14.431,0:10:14.681
♪ It's like Star Wars in my head ♪
0:10:14.681,0:10:14.806
♪ I don't like this crazy sound ♪
0:10:14.806,0:10:14.931
♪ Makes me feel like I can't get down ♪
0:10:18.382,0:10:19.698
Now watch what happens to his brain?
0:10:19.698,0:10:20.399
Stop!
0:10:20.399,0:10:21.035
(laughter)
0:10:21.035,0:10:22.185
Now watch what happens to his brain.
0:10:22.185,0:10:23.651
The areas that were active before,
0:10:23.651,0:10:25.385
the ones that deal[br]with motor skills and sounds,
0:10:25.385,0:10:26.835
are even more active.
0:10:26.835,0:10:29.384
But see how there's way more blue[br]in the front of his brain?
0:10:29.384,0:10:30.835
That's the pre-frontal cortex,
0:10:30.835,0:10:32.751
and it's associated[br]with effortful planning
0:10:32.751,0:10:34.516
and conscience self-monitoring,
0:10:34.516,0:10:36.968
and it's blue because it's less active.
0:10:36.968,0:10:38.215
We see that the pre-frontal cortex
0:10:38.215,0:10:42.052
appears to be really shutting down[br]in these moments of high creativity,
0:10:42.052,0:10:46.249
kind of like letting of of these conscious[br]self-censoring or self-monitoring areas
0:10:46.249,0:10:50.481
that normally are there[br]to help control our output.
0:10:50.481,0:10:52.767
(Peter) And Limb says[br]it's about more than just letting go.
0:10:52.767,0:10:55.898
You view it[br]from a perspective of survival.
0:10:55.898,0:10:58.832
If human beings only could do[br]memorized route responses,
0:10:58.832,0:11:00.318
we'd be long gone.
0:11:00.318,0:11:04.132
It is not just the thing that happens[br]in clubs and in jazz bars,
0:11:04.132,0:11:06.665
it's actually maybe[br]the most fundamental form
0:11:06.665,0:11:08.151
of what it means to be human,
0:11:08.151,0:11:09.266
to come up with new ideas.
0:11:09.266,0:11:11.931
(singing)
0:11:15.231,0:11:18.234
(Peter) So music is so much more[br]than notes on a page.
0:11:18.234,0:11:21.199
It can change the way we think[br]and speak and feel.
0:11:21.199,0:11:24.466
But is there a limit[br]to what science can tell us about music?
0:11:24.466,0:11:26.767
Just when I discovered[br]the answer to one thing,
0:11:26.767,0:11:30.664
five new questions pop up[br]that are more interesting than the first,
0:11:30.664,0:11:33.182
and I've gained an appreciation
0:11:33.182,0:11:39.048
for how complex the music-making[br]and music-listening system is.
0:11:39.048,0:11:41.064
It's not demystified for me at all.
0:11:41.064,0:11:43.364
It's more mysterious than ever.
0:11:43.364,0:11:45.465
(singing)
0:11:57.515,0:11:59.732
(applause)