The birdsong is somehow pleasing to human ears and has inspired many musicians such as Messiaen. Intriguingly, some songbirds appear to be attracted by human music, suggesting that songbirds might have a sense of beauty to generate their own songs and to appreciate human music.
Music is a fundamental human behavior that dates back to the prehistoric period. Music stimulates our sense of beauty to evoke pleasant feeling in us and influence our emotions. It can summon up human empathy and facilitate social bonds, which has been exploited by religion and politics. Music can also work as a medicine to treat pain, reduce stress, and even heal psychiatric disorders. How can music affect our brain to play a variety of roles? We are now studying on the brain of songbirds to understand the function of birdsongs and origin of the sense of beauty in songbirds and humans.