This study explored the neural basis of musical beauty using behavioral and neuroimaging methods. In Study 1, 30 adults rated the beauty of musical passages, identifying "beautiful" and "not-beautiful" segments. Study 2 used fMRI on 36 adults to examine brain activity while listening to the same pieces. Beautiful passages activated the orbitofrontal cortex, while not-beautiful ones engaged the supratemporal areas. Connectivity analysis showed reduced auditory activation for beautiful music. Study 3 gathered expert opinions, revealing that beautiful passages were more melodic, calm, sad, slow, tonal, and simple. The findings highlight shared neural and psychological patterns in musical beauty.
Beauty and the brain – Investigating the neural and musical attributes of beauty during naturalistic music listening
