Harmony in Spite of Individuality

A public lecture by Emeritus Professor Alan Harvey

Why do humans possess two complementary but distinct communication systems, language and music, each with its own relatively specific neural circuitries? Language is the primary means of interpersonal (usually one-to-one) communication. It is generative and creative, it is the vehicle we use to learn and pass on knowledge, plans and skills within, and across, generations. But music does not communicate such information, does not propose theories or hypotheses. Why then does it remain a human universal? In addition to a suggested influence on attraction and mate selection (Darwin), music-like communication is important in facilitating attachment and bonding between care givers and preverbal infants. Later-on in life, musical activities continue to play a vital role in promoting empathy, trust and cooperative behaviours. It is suggested that, early in our evolutionary history, music’s capacity to promote prosocial interactions and bonding in a group context (groups that extended beyond immediate family members) may have acted as a counterweight to the increasing awareness of articulate and intelligent humans as they became cognisant of their own individuality and finite existence on this earth. From a neuroscience perspective, it is well established that our experience of reward, and the major drivers of prosocial behaviours, involve activity in many neural circuits and the action of neuromodulators such as dopamine, β-endorphin and oxytocin. Significantly, the rewarding, social network promoting aspects of music-making utilise similar circuits and involve these same neuromodulators. Furthermore, these neurochemical systems do not necessarily act independently of each other, with potential interactions at the receptor and synaptic levels. Music also has a powerful impact on emotion and memory, presumably by influencing limbic pathways including the hippocampus. It is argued that the harmonizing, synchronizing power of music and its partner dance remain a specific characteristic of what it is to be human, and that the beneficial effects of communal musical activities in fostering cooperative relationships, physical well-being and brain health remain important to this day.

Alan R Harvey is Emeritus Professor and Senior Honorary Research Fellow in the UWA School of Human Sciences. He is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Perron Institute, a Senior Honorary Research Fellow at the UWA Conservatorium of Music, Honorary Research Fellow, Lions Eye Institute and Director and Board Member, Neurological Council of Western Australia.

This lecture is the opening Keynote talk for the POM Perth 2025 Conference: 'Politics of the Machines-Synthetic Sentience', hosted by the UWA Institute of Advanced Studies, 16-18 July 2025, at The University Of Western Australia.