Why we love repetition in music

A couple of years ago, music psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Margulis decided to investigate why songs with repetitive melodies are often more satisfying to listen to. She designed a study in which participants rated two versions of a musical excerpt by composer Luciano Berio: one was the original piece and the other was an audio-sliced version crafted to be more repetitive. So why was the latter more highly rated? To find out, watch the TED-Ed video below.

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