Music and Evolution

Evolutionary benefits are influenced by natural selection and sexual selection. Mention Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory of survival of the fittest and how this can apply to music

Darwin says

• music is universal, which suggests species specific behaviour 
• musical abilities emerge spontaneously in children 
• music arouses strong emotions in humans

Adaptationist theories 

Did music play a role in our survival? 

Pinker opposes adaptationist theories with his 'auditory cheesecake' theory in his book, How the Mind Works, 1997

Pinker says that music is a 'pleasure technology' that captitalises on other abilities

Pinker says "music is quite useless" in terms of biological adaptations

Pinker argues against adaptationist theories with his 5 non-music bases of music perception (1997). These points demonstrate how music shares characteristics with evolutionary benefits that directly increase the chance of survival 

Patel (2010) agrees with Pinker, yet he emphasies how non-direct biological adaptations…