We like music. It provides enjoyment. It also apparently offers insight into how our brains dynamically process incoming information per a recent Stanford study.

The research team showed that music engages the areas of the brain involved with paying attention, making predictions and updating the event in memory. Peak brain activity occurred during a short period of silence between musical movements—when seemingly nothing was happening.

It is this predictive process that is one of the items of interest. With music the when of something is typically known because of underlying beat patterns, but the what aspect remains unknown. Surprises in what is expected trigger partitioning processes within the brain that may offer further insight into processes involved in focusing our attentions.

For thought – how might this information play into coaching situations?

Link: Music moves brain to pay attention, Stanford study finds