'Part of our biological toolkit': newborn babies can anticipate rhythm in music, researchers find

Newborn Babies Can Anticipate Rhythm in Music, Researchers Find

Research suggests that newborn babies can anticipate rhythm in music, with a fundamental human trait that may be rooted in our biological makeup. By eight or nine months old, fetuses begin to respond to music through changes in heart rate and body movements.

The study, published in Plos Biology, used electroencephalography (EEG) to analyze brain activity from sleeping newborns fitted with earphones. The researchers played original pieces of music composed by Bach, as well as versions where pitches and note timings were shuffled. They found that babies could track and predict rhythmic patterns in real music, but not surprises in melody.

Lead researcher Dr. Roberta Bianco notes that previous research has shown that aspects of musical memory can carry over from the womb to birth. She believes that rhythm is a fundamental human trait that may be part of our biological toolkit, while melody depends on human brain specializations shaped by learning after birth.

The study's findings suggest that newborns are biologically tuned to make predictions when listening to music, especially about rhythm. This ability involves detecting patterns in the music and learning how those patterns unfold over time. The researchers propose that such abilities may have their roots in basic biological and sensory experiences, such as the mother's heartbeat and walking motion.

The study's results align with previous research on language acquisition, which suggests that speech rhythm perception is a key factor in children's early language development. Other experts praise the study for shedding light on the role of music in human cognition and offering new insights into our biological makeup.

In essence, this groundbreaking research reveals that newborn babies are born with an innate ability to anticipate rhythm in music, opening up new avenues for understanding human perception and cognition.

This is crazy! I mean, it makes total sense that newborns would be wired to respond to rhythm - think about it, we're all tapping our feet or swaying to the beat from a young age. It's like our bodies are already primed for this kind of pattern recognition. And you know what really gets me is how this relates to language development - if babies can pick up on rhythmic patterns in music before they even start speaking, it's no wonder we learn language so quickly! But here's the thing: does this mean that our education system should be more focused on rhythm and pattern recognition? I think so. We're already teaching kids to recognize notes and beats - but are we giving them enough practice with actual music? And what about accessibility for kids with different learning styles or abilities? Can we adapt our curriculum to better accommodate these differences?

omg can u believe it?? newborns can already anticipate rhythm in music! its like their brain is hardwired or something . i mean, i always knew babies were amazing, but this is just wild. they can even detect patterns in real music, not just some messed up beats . and its not just about melody either, they cant even predict surprises in tune . but what really gets me is that they can do all of this from like 8-9 months old . talk about a natural born musician!

anyway, i gotta say im loving the fact that we're finally getting some answers on how our brains work when it comes to music and cognition . its not just about what we hear, but also how our brain processes info and makes sense of it all . and who knows, maybe this means we'll see some new musical talents emerging from the baby world in no time . cant wait to see where this research takes us!

I think its awesome that scientists found out babies can already detect beats in music from birth ! Its like they're born with a built-in drum machine or something . I imagine it makes sense too since we all tap our feet or move our bodies when we hear catchy rhythms. Dr Bianco's theory about rhythm being a fundamental human trait is pretty cool. It just shows how music is wired into our brains from the start . Can you imagine if they tested this on toddlers and saw if they can pick up on more complex melodies? Maybe that's a future study !

This is so cool! I think it's awesome that scientists figured out that babies as young as a few months old can already anticipate rhythms in music . It's like they're born with an inner rhythm detector or something . And who knew that the beat of our mom's heart and walking motion could be influencing their brain development from birth? Mind blown! The fact that melody might not be as predictable for them yet makes sense, since it's more complex and involves learning after birth. But can you imagine a 9-month-old baby singing along to Bach? Would love to see some experiments with that!

OMG I'm so fascinated by this study! It's crazy to think that newborns can already detect rhythm in music from the womb And that they can even predict patterns in real music? That's like, whoa ! I remember when my little cousin was born and we'd play some lullaby for her and she'd start tapping her tiny feet to the beat . Now I know why! It makes total sense that rhythm is a fundamental human trait and it's not just something we learn later in life . I love how this study can help us better understand human perception and cognition, especially when it comes to music . Can you imagine if we could use this knowledge to create more engaging music experiences for babies and young kids? That would be amazing !

This is so cool! I mean, who knew our little ones were already vibin' with tunes from the womb? It's like they've got their own internal drum machine goin' on . And it makes sense that rhythm is more intuitive for 'em than melody - think about how babies respond to their mom's heartbeat and movement before birth... it's like they're tuning in to some universal beat . This study is a total game-changer for understanding human cognition and perception, and I'm all about celebrating those innate abilities .

I gotta say, this is wild! I mean, think about it - we're talking about newborns being able to pick up on rhythm, like it's second nature to 'em . And it makes sense, right? Our brains are wired for patterns, and music is all about patterns. It's like our brains are already primed to respond to rhythm from day one.

And I love how the researchers found that babies can track rhythmic patterns in real music, but not surprises in melody . That just goes to show how different our brains are wired for pattern recognition. And it's crazy to think about how this might be related to language development - like, we need to pick up on rhythm and pattern to learn language.

But what really gets me is that this study suggests that newborns have an innate ability to anticipate rhythm in music . Like, they're born with this fundamental human trait that just kicks in from the get-go. It's mind-blowing, you know?

omg can u believe its confirmed?! newborns r literally wired 2 expect rhythm n music!! i mean, like, my little sib was bumpin n swayin 2 lil beats from day one lol. its so cool 2 think bout how our brainz r basically hardwired 2 detect patterns n predict whats comin next. its like, no wonder we love beatboxing or singin along - it's just part of who we are! cant wait 2 see more research on this & explore the links btwn music n human cognition

You know, it's amazing to think about how much we can expect from a tiny human just by being born . I mean, they're already tapping into this deep-seated sense of rhythm that's hardwired into our biology. It's like they've got this internal metronome ticking away, waiting for the beat to drop .

And what's really cool is how it all ties in with language acquisition – if babies can anticipate rhythm in music, does that mean they're somehow wired to recognize patterns in speech too? I think about my grandkids and their love of nursery rhymes, and it makes me wonder if there's something more at play here.

It just goes to show how much we've got to learn about our own humanity . And as a retiree, I've had plenty of time to reflect on the mysteries of life – this study is definitely one that'll keep me up at night thinking about all the fascinating ways our brains work .

omg i'm literally blown away by dis news!!! newborns r already anticipatin rhythm in music?? thats like, total genius right there! i mean, can u even imagine listenin to bach's compositions as a fetus? it just makes sense that they'd be all about the beat, lol. i love how dey used electroencephalography to analyze brain activity tho - so cool! and omg, dey found out that babies can track patterns in music but not surprises in melody... like, i'm pretty sure my little sis at 8 months old already knows how to bob her head to a beat

OMG, this is crazy! Like, can you even imagine being able to feel the beat of a song from the moment you're born? It's like our bodies are already wired to vibe with music. I'm all about the rhythm, tbh. I mean, who doesn't love a good beat? And it makes sense that babies would pick up on it too - our moms' heartbeat and walking motion are basically drumbeats, right? It's like we're born to groove!

I'm so stoked about this research ! I mean, can you believe it? Newborns already have a basic sense of rhythm in music? That's like, mind-blowing! It makes total sense that they would be attuned to patterns in music, considering how babies are designed to recognize and respond to their mom's heartbeat and walking motion. And think about it, this innate ability could be the foundation for all sorts of creativity and musical expression as we grow up . The fact that melody is more dependent on learning after birth just makes sense too - our brains aren't wired for complex melodies right out the gate, you know? Anyway, I'm hyped to see where this research takes us!

I'm loving this study! It's like, who knew our little humans were already vibing with Bach from the get-go? The fact that they can track rhythmic patterns and predict what comes next is mind-blowing. And it makes total sense - think about how we all tap our feet or move to music as kids, even if we don't realize why. It's like our bodies are hardwired to respond to rhythm, you know? And can you imagine being an 8-month-old fetus and hearing your mom's heartbeat in the background, and then suddenly this beautiful music comes on and it's all like "aha, I get it"? It's just so cool!

I gotta say, I'm like totally fascinated by this study! It's crazy to think that newborns can even anticipate rhythm in music before they're born, let alone after birth when their brains are all like "okay, what's going on here? " But seriously, it makes total sense. Think about how we all move our bodies to the beat and stuff. I mean, have you ever been to a concert or festival and just can't help but dance along? It's not just us humans either - babies are like, "hey, what's that pattern?"

And it's cool that they used EEG to study this. That tech is so advanced! I wish we could hear the actual brain waves or something... anyway, it's awesome to know that our brains are already wired for rhythm from birth. Maybe that's why music and movement have such a strong connection in our lives?

OMG I'm like totally blown away by this study! I mean, can you even imagine being able to hear your own heartbeat while in the womb? It's crazy how our bodies are just wired to respond to music, even before we're born! I was thinking about my little brother who loves watching nursery rhymes and musicals, but now I know he's basically listening to rhythm from birth . This study is like, totally making me appreciate the power of music in our lives even more .

OMG I'm totally fascinated by this study! So, it turns out that newborns can already anticipate rhythm in music, like they're born with an innate sense of beat . And it's not just about the notes, but the way they flow together . The researchers think that our brains are wired to detect patterns and make predictions, which is actually pretty cool . I mean, can you imagine being able to tap into that instinctual music sense from birth? It's like our bodies have a built-in soundtrack playing in the background .

The fact that this ability is rooted in basic biological experiences, like hearing mom's heartbeat and walking motions, is super interesting . And it makes sense that rhythm would be one of the first things we pick up on, especially when it comes to music . I'm loving how this study opens up new avenues for understanding human perception and cognition .

This is so cool! I mean, can you imagine being able to tap your toes along with a Bach piece from the womb? It's wild that babies as young as 8 months old are already picking up on rhythmic patterns in music. And it makes total sense that rhythm might be more of an innate thing for us, whereas melody is something we learn later on through experience and learning.

I love how this study opens up new possibilities for understanding human perception and cognition. It's like our brains are wired to respond to rhythms and patterns from a pretty young age! And it makes me wonder, can we use this knowledge to help develop early music education programs or even therapies for kids with special needs?

The fact that the researchers found babies could track rhythmic patterns in real music but not surprises in melody is pretty interesting too. It's like our brains are hardwired to respond to patterns and predict what's coming next, but surprise melodies might throw us off a bit!

I'm totally stoked about this study! I mean, can you imagine being able to understand your baby's brain activity from birth? It's like, they're already anticipating the rhythm in Bach's music before they even start school! But seriously, it makes total sense that babies would be drawn to patterns and rhythms – we see that all the time in math problems and science experiments. And I'm not surprised that melody doesn't come into play as much, because remember how our choir teacher always says we need to listen to the rhythm first before adding harmonies? Anyway, it's awesome that researchers are studying this stuff and trying to figure out what makes us human – maybe one day we'll even have a class on "Baby Brain Science" in school!

I'm like totally surprised they found out that babies can even hear music let alone anticipate rhythms but at the same time I'm kinda thinking what's next? Are we gonna find out that newborns can solve calculus problems or something? but seriously, it's wild to think about how babies are born with this ability to detect patterns in music, like they're basically little music experts from day one and I mean, it makes sense that rhythm is a fundamental human trait since we all kinda bounce to the beat of our own drummers but on the other hand, what about all those babies who don't exactly have the most symmetrical musical taste?