- Researchers at the University of Tokyo played songs from Mozart, Queen and Lady Gaga to rats fitted with sensors to track their movements
- This finding has challenged the belief that only humans have a natural ability to synchronise their moves to a rhythm
Rats may not be able to play the guitar, but they can certainly catch a beat. Photo: ShutterstockNodding along to catchy music is not just a human habit, according to Japanese scientists who have discovered that rats also move to the beat of songs by stars like Lady Gaga.
Researchers at the University of Tokyo played Mozart, Queen and Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” to rats wearing miniature sensors to detect even the tiniest movements. They found the rodents had an innate ability to synchronise their moves to the beat, previously believed to be a skill unique to people.
“Rats’ brains are designed to respond well to music”, even though their bodies move only a little, said associate professor Hirokazu Takahashi, part of the team who conducted the study.
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“We all believe that music has magical powers ... [and] we wanted to find out what kind of sound connections appeal to the brain, without the influence of emotion or memory,” he said.
For rats, the “bopping” effect was most pronounced for music in the range of 120 to 140 beats per minute – the same as humans (see graphic). This led the scientists to hypothesise that it could be a reaction that is consistent across different species.
“Music moves the body. It goes beyond the auditory system and affects the motor system ... the power of sound is that great,” Takahashi said.
The study was published in November last year in the journal, Science Advances. The research mainly focused on “Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, K. 448”, played at four different tempos. But the scientists also tried out “Born This Way” and the driving rhythm of Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust”, tracks picked by Takahashi’s students.
Unlike other pets such as parrots, which are famous for their uncanny imitations of music and other sounds, it was the first time the rats in the study had listened to music.
In the future, Takahashi said he would want to go beyond rhythm and explore the effects of melody and harmony on the brain. “If music has an emotional effect, it would be really interesting if we could get to the point where we could see it in animals,” he said.
Agence France-Presse
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Are there other ways that animals respond to music?
While rats are the only ones in the animal kingdom that are able to synchronise their moves to the beat of songs, other species such as pigs may be able to react to music, too, albeit in other ways.
In a separate study conducted in March last year, animal behaviour experts found that music generates different emotions in pigs. Those that were exposed to soothing, pleasant music experienced positive emotions, while harsh, jarring music was linked to negative emotions.
According to another study, exposure to string and wind music increases play and tail wagging in pigs, which researchers saw as signs of a “positive mood”.
Another interesting study conducted in 2001 showed that cows that listened to calming music such as Beethoven’s “Pastoral Symphony” produced 3 per cent more milk every day.