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Musical Anhedonia: Why 2-3% Feel No Joy in Music

2/12/2026

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Story summary
  • Musical anhedonia means people recognize music but do not experience emotional responses.
  • Weiss (musical anhedonia subject) shows reduced connectivity in auditory and reward circuits relative to controls.
  • Zatorre (cognitive neuroscientist) found that about 2–3% of healthy people exhibit musical anhedonia.
  • Physiological responses to music were flat in Weiss, while music lovers activated their reward circuits.
  • The findings show musical experiences require interaction between the brain's reward system and auditory circuits.