""This is a high-quality randomised trial of music therapy specifically for depression, and the results suggest that it can improve the mood and general functioning of people with depression.
"Music-making is social, pleasurable and meaningful. It has been argued that music making engages people in ways that words may simply not be able to."" [Telegraph]

"Emory University scientists studying teenagers listening to new music have discovered tell-tale brain responses that could help predict a song's commercial success.

The new finding offers an insight into the hit-making machinery of the adolescent brain, by documenting involuntary neural reactions to pop music. At the level of cells and synapses, teen-age brains simply find some songs more rewarding to hear, even when the listeners say they don't like the tunes on questionnaires and surveys, the scientists said. So far, no one knows why." [The Wall Street Journal]

"People love music for much the same reason they're drawn to sex, drugs, gambling and delicious food, according to new research. When you listen to tunes that move you, the study found, your brain releases dopamine, a chemical involved in both motivation and addiction.

Even just anticipating the sounds of a composition like Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" or Phish's "You Enjoy Myself" can get the feel-good chemical flowing, found the study, which was the first to make a concrete link between dopamine release and musical pleasure." [Discovery News]

Following a pioneernig effort by Prof Tymoczko in 2006, the trio has now outlined a method called "geometrical music theory" in the journal Science that they say can turn music into shapes.

"To me," Prof Tymoczko says "the most satisfying aspect of this research is that we can now see that there is a logical structure linking many, many different musical concepts. To some extent, we can represent the history of music as a long process of exploring different symmetries and different geometries."

"Our methods are not so great at distinguishing Aerosmith from the Rolling Stones," Tymoczko said. "But they might allow you to visualise some of the differences between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Paul McCartney's tunes tend to look more traditional, John Lennon's tunes tend to be a little more "rock" - violating more of the traditional rules. [Telegraph]

Brit band Coldplay is the preferred music choice to send us off to sleep at night, a survey has found.

The clean cut rock band fronted by Chris Martin topped a poll of artists lulling Britons into slumber.

The dulcet tones of James Blunt, Snow Patrol, Take That and Norah Jones completed the "kip parade" top five according to a study undertaken by Travelodge. [UK press association]