Scientists Say Reggaeton Evokes More Brain Activity Than Other Music

Bad Bunny, Karol G, and Rauw Alejandro topped many of our Spotify playlists this year, but have you ever asked yourself what effects listening to so much reggaeton has on your brain? 

Well, it turns out scientists from the Canary Islands and Finland conducted a study to determine the answer to that question.

Surprisingly, the group of scientists found that listening to reggaeton evokes more brain activity than other forms of music. That means it might be a good idea to turn on some reggeaton when you really need to get your brain working. 

Daddy Yankee and J Balvin put the brain a ‘perrear’

The study, published in the academic journal Neuroscience, monitored the brain activity of 28 different people when listening to a sample of music from four different genres: reggaeton, classical, electronic, and folk. The sample of reggaeton music contained the songs “Shaky Shaky” by Daddy Yankee and “Ginza” by J Balvin. 

When looking at how the brains of the participants reacted to the different genres of music, the scientists found that reggaeton created significantly more brain activity than the other genres of music.

The areas of the brain studied were those responsible for auditory activity (which processes sound), those responsible for motor skills (processing movement), and the basal ganglia (often associated with pleasure and emotions). 

After the study was published earlier this year, the leading researcher, Jesús Martín-Fernández, gained popularity throughout Spain

Due to the study, Martín-Fernández has become one of the youngest well-known neurosurgeons. He is using this newfound fame to talk about the connections between music and neuroscience. 

In an article in the Washington Post, Dr. Martín-Fernández stated that the study on the ways that the brain reacts to reggaeton could even help devise a possible cure for Parkinson’s disease because of the way that the disease affects the regions studied.

He claims that because of the way that reggaeton connects with our most primordial emotions by reproducing many of the rhythms that our ancestors listened to, it might be the key to helping those with Parkinson’s reactivate those areas of the brain. 

Regardless of its effects on future research, the study is a great way to break down the stigma around reggeaton. It is a great justification to keep artists like J Balvin and Daddy Yankee at the top of our playlists… aside from their amazing tunes. The next time that you go out to perrear, remember that you’re giving your brain a workout too.