Birds have emotional response to songs
A bird listening to a birdsong may experience some of the same emotion a human being would, study suggests.
When birds hear a birdsong, their brains show activity that’s similar to what’s seen in humans when they listen to music, according to a new study.
“We found that the same neural reward system is activated in female birds in the breeding state that are listening to male birdsong, and in people listening to music that they like,” said Sarah Earp, an undergraduate student at Emory University in Atlanta, who co-authored the study.
Published in the journal Frontiers of Evolutionary Neuroscience, the study also found that when male birds hear another male’s song, they have brain activity similar to what’s seen in humans when they listen to music they don't like.
Bing: Big Bird helps scientists study brain development
— Read it at the Huffington Post
Photo: Willi Rolfes/Getty Images
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