Brain Disconnection Explains Why Some Individuals Do Not Experience Pleasure from Music

Research over the past decade has shed light on a rare condition called 'specific musical anhedonia,' where certain individuals do not derive any pleasure from listening to music, despite having normal hearing and enjoying other stimuli. This phenomenon is linked to a disconnection between the brain’s auditory and reward networks, rather than a dysfunction in hearing or processing musical melodies. Studies published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences have illustrated that people with this condition perceive music normally but do not experience pleasure from it.

Neuroscientists used tools like the Barcelona Music Reward Questionnaire (BMRQ) to measure how rewarding individuals find music across different domains, such as emotional response, mood regulation, social bonding, movement, and novelty seeking. Those with musical anhedonia typically score low across all these aspects, indicating a broad disconnection from music's rewarding potential.

Imaging studies further support this, showing reduced activity in the brain’s reward circuitry, especially during music listening, in affected individuals. While their auditory pathways are intact and they can process melodies normally, their reward circuits are less responsive, which explains their lack of pleasure. Interestingly, responses to other rewards like monetary gains are unaffected, suggesting the disconnection is specific to the music-reward pathway.

Genetic and environmental factors are believed to contribute to the development of this condition. A twin study indicated that genetics might account for up to 54% of individual differences in music enjoyment. Researchers are currently collaborating with geneticists to identify specific genes involved and are exploring whether this trait is stable or modifiable over time.

Understanding these individual differences not only helps explain varied emotional experiences with music but might also offer insights into related reward-based conditions such as anhedonia, addiction, and eating disorders. This research emphasizes the importance of connectivity between brain regions for experiencing pleasure, highlighting that the issue in musical anhedonia is primarily about the interaction between the auditory system and reward circuits.

Future research aims to explore whether interventions can alter connectivity patterns and reverse the condition, offering hope for personalized treatments for similar pleasure-related disorders.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-disconnection-brain-regions-people-dont.html