This ability was previously thought to be uniquely human, and scientists say the discovery provides insights into animal minds and the origins of music and dance. “Rats that appear innately – that is, without any training or prior exposure to music – beat the timing,” said Dr Hirokazu Takahashi of the University of Tokyo. “Music exerts a powerful pull on the brain and has profound effects on emotion and cognition,” he added. While there have been previous demonstrations of animals dancing to music – TikTok has many examples – the study is one of the first scientific investigations of the phenomenon. In the study, published in the journal Science Advances, 10 rats were fitted with wireless, tiny accelerometers to measure minute head movements. One-minute excerpts from Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D major were then played at four different tempos: 75%, 100%, 200%, and 400% of the original speed. Twenty volunteers also participated. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The scientists thought it was possible that the rats would prefer faster music as their body, including the heartbeat, works at a faster rate. In contrast, the brain time constant is surprisingly similar across species. However, the results showed that both rats and humans had optimal beat synchrony when the music was in the 120-140 beats per minute (bpm) range—close to the 132 bpm of Mozart’s original composition—suggesting that we share a “sweet spot” for hitting the beat. The team also found that rats and humans bobbed their heads to the beat at a similar rate, and that the level of head bobbing decreased as the music sped up. “Our results indicate that the optimal rate for rhythm synchronization depends on the time constant in the brain,” Takahashi said. The team now plans to investigate how other musical properties such as melody and harmony relate to brain dynamics. “Also, as an engineer, I am interested in using music for a happy life,” Takahashi said.
