Music has the power to evoke the most powerful of emotions. So strong is its effect on us that it has both psychological and physiological effects. But does music affect animals like it does humans? Although animal vocalisations such as bird songs have been the subject of intense scientific study for a while, the effect music has on animals in terms of physiology and brain chemistry has remained somewhat of a mystery until recently. School of Popular Music delves into scientific studies which provide evidence that certain types of music may also affect animals!

Dogs are Not Metalheads

Researchers found that classical music reduces anxiety in the dogs at kennels, causing them to bark less and sleep more. Heavy metal, on the other hand, had the opposite effect. Cows also seem to prefer classical music, and even produced more milk when listening to slow jams than when listening to music with over 120 beats per minute.

Music to Meow Ears

Having gained a reputation for being the (seemingly) more nonchalant species, it should come as no surprise that cats are pretty indifferent to human music. However, two psychologists at the University of Wisconsin and a composer at the University of Maryl teamed up to develop music especially for felines, and research indicates that cats dig it!

Composer David Teie explains that all the music was made using instruments and the human voice and was written specifically to appeal to the domestic cat, thus containing frequencies and tempos similar to the ones cats themselves use to communicate with each other.

The psychologists visited 47 households and played the cats music; two classical (human) songs and two developed specifically for felines. The study, published in the journal of Applied Animal Behaviour Science, found that when the cats (particularly young and older ones) were played the feline music, they were more likely to move towards the speaker, or even rub up against it.

Monkey Business

Another study conducted by the same researchers indicated that like cats, tamarin monkeys are mostly indifferent to human music – apart from they heard Metallica’s “Of Wolf and Man”, which surprisingly calmed them down! However, they became visibly calmer or more agitated depending on whether they were exposed to compositions made to mirror the pitch monkeys made in calming calls or those made when expressing fear.

Feeling Chirpy

A study conducted on white-tailed sparrows found that like humans, the part of the female sparrows’ brain that’s similar to the human amygdala lit up while listening to the males’ song, while the male birds’ brains reacted similarly to when humans listen to music they don’t like.

At School of Popular Music, offering music lessons in Guernsey, we understand that music is without a doubt, a force of nature. So if you’re looking for anything from singing lessons to piano lessons in Guernsey, contact us now!

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