Music gives pleasure because your mind keeps predicting what comes next. Each correct prediction triggers dopamine. You can't make good predictions for unfamiliar music, so you don't get the dopamine. But when music is too familiar, something strange happens. You don't get the dopamine either because your brain predicts it effortlessly. To make you happy, music must be at the sweet spot of novelty and familiarity. Loretta Graziano Breuning
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After hearing a piece of music, your brain predicts what will come next, but if the music is too familiar, your brain makes no prediction. You don't get the pleasure that comes with making a correct prediction. Your brain already knows how it's going to go, so no dopamine is released. But if you're listening to something that is not too familiar to you—say, a new piece of music—your brain will make predictions even though it doesn't know how it's going to turn out. That is why you feel so much pleasure when you hear music for the first time.

Source: Habits Of A Happy Brain: Retrain Your Brain To Boost Your Serotonin, Dopamine, Oxytocin, Endorphin Levels

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