The Ways Animals React to Music May Surprise You

Do animals enjoy music? Learn about the scientific research that explores whether animals have an appreciation for music and how music can affect their behavior and well-being.

By Marisa Sloan
Jun 16, 2023 1:00 PMJun 19, 2023 3:27 PM
Female boxer listening to music with blue headphones
(Credit: Luna Vandoorne/Shutterstock)

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news
 

When leaving my apartment, I make sure to leave the radio on for my cat. I like to think the songs are a satisfactory substitute for the voices that fill the apartment when people are home. Then again, perhaps the music is nothing more than a nuisance to my feline friend.

“It’s something that people have wanted to know for a long time,” says Pralle Kriengwatana, a postdoctoral researcher at KU Leuven in Belgium. “And there are more and more studies on it.”

But by and large, she says, those studies have focused on one simple question — what effect does music have on non-human animals? — without taking into consideration how or why these effects come about. 

In a paper published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science last year, Kriengwatana and her colleagues at the University of Glasgow propose an alternative research framework. It first asks what animals actually hear when exposed to music, then applies this to specific welfare goals.


0 free articles left
Want More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/month

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

0 free articlesSubscribe
Discover Magazine Logo
Want more?

Keep reading for as low as $1.99!

Subscribe

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

Stay Curious

Sign up for our weekly newsletter and unlock one more article for free.

 

View our Privacy Policy


Want more?
Keep reading for as low as $1.99!


Log In or Register

Already a subscriber?
Find my Subscription

More From Discover
Recommendations From Our Store
Shop Now
Stay Curious
Join
Our List

Sign up for our weekly science updates.

 
Subscribe
To The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Copyright © 2024 Kalmbach Media Co.