Climbing Mount Groove: Music and Dance in the Brain - Milton Mermikides and Morten Kringelbach

Gresham College Lectures

This is the second lecture from the Gresham Festival of Musical Ideas.
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/series/musical-ideas-2025
Why does a rhythm make us tap our feet—or even get up and dance? In conversation with Professor Milton Mermikides, neuroscientist Professor Morten Kringelbach reveals how the brain finds pleasure, meaning, and movement in music. Drawing on extensive brain imaging, analysis and real-world studies, the talk explores how music and dance engage our brain’s predictive systems—where just the right balance of familiarity and surprise creates joy. From funk to fugues, bossa to the Beatles – the talk will offer insights into why groove feels so good, and how rhythm links brain, body and culture.
This lecture was recorded by Milton Mermikides and Morten Kringelbach on 29th June 2025 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London.
Professor Kringelbach is the founding director of the "Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing" at Linacre College, University of Oxford which convenes and fosters an interdisciplinary team of scientists and artists. He is also Professor of Neuroscience and co-founder of "Center for Music in Brain", Aarhus University, Denmark. Milton Mermikides is Gresham Professor of Music. He is Associate Professor in Music at the University of Surrey, Professor of Guitar at the Royal College of Music and Deputy Director of the International Guitar Research Centre.
The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/climbing-mount-groove-music-and-dance-brain
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