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Musicality was not selected for, rather humans have a good reason to learn music

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 September 2021

Shir Atzil Open the ORCID record for Shir Atzil [Opens in a new window]  and
Lior Abramson
Shir Atzil
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem 91905, Israel. shir.atzil@mail.huji.ac.il; https://scholars.huji.ac.il/atzillab lior.abramson@mail.huji.ac.il
Lior Abramson
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem 91905, Israel. shir.atzil@mail.huji.ac.il; https://scholars.huji.ac.il/atzillab lior.abramson@mail.huji.ac.il
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Abstract

We propose that not social bonding, but rather a different mechanism underlies the development of musicality: being unable to survive alone. The evolutionary constraint of being dependent on other humans for survival provides the ultimate driving force for acquiring human faculties such as sociality and musicality, through mechanisms of learning and neural plasticity. This evolutionary mechanism maximizes adaptation to a dynamic environment.

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Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 44 , 2021 , e62
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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