Abstract

Movement, perception, and reward are fundamental processes underlying much of our behaviour which, although separable, are strongly linked. For example, moving to music requires the extraction of timing information from auditory input to synchronize movements to musical rhythms, a process that often leads to pleasure. But why does it feel good to move to music, and what aspects of the music make us want to move? Further, what are the brain networks underlying this urge to move? One approach to answering these questions is to study the sensation of groove, which is defined as the pleasurable urge to move to music. The work presented in this thesis investigated groove using behavioural and neuroimaging methods to shed new light on music’s ability to move us and the fundamental processes that support this phenomenon.
Groove has been shown to be strongly influenced by rhythm, however, other aspects of music are likely to contribute. Article 1 investigated the role of harmonic complexity, showing that it interacts with rhythmic complexity in determining groove. A mediation analysis showed that harmonic complexity affects groove primarily via its impact on pleasure.
There is some evidence that moving to music increases groove. However, it is unclear if this depends on whether listeners feel as though they are synchronizing accurately. Article 2 compared the relative impact of perceived and measured synchrony on groove. Perceived synchrony showed a stronger relation with groove indicating that ‘feeling in sync’ is a crucial driver of groove.
Separate lines of research have investigated the brain networks involved in rhythm perception and music-induced pleasure. Groove provides the opportunity to investigate these processes together. Article 3 investigated the brain regions underlying groove using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Groove elicited activation in motor timing and reward networks with the basal ganglia implicated in both.
Together, these studies provide novel insight into groove and its underlying processes. These results are discussed in the context of the integration of predictive coding and dynamic attending treatments of rhythm perception and groove. I suggest that predictive timing processes form the foundation on which groove is built.