Why Do You Love Your Favorite Songs? | Scarlet Keys | TED

[@TheRealSandman]

What a great talk. Music is so important to us. From our ancient ancestors using drums & other instruments in tribes, all the way till now, music has stuck around. It’s such a shame some people don’t see music as essential.

[@AbbyKilleen]

First ted talk to ever make me cry, what an amazing woman, this talk really inspired me

[@ScarletKeys]

Abby, Thank you! I'm not reading comments, but yours caught my eye. All the best to you!!

[@daphnehoge9575]

It just makes sense, and I love her for explaining that to us so gently and beautifully. Thank You!🙏

[@jeanliu3658]

I'm inspired by this optimism, humor, and beautiful soul. Many thanks! Music plays a big part in my life, it brings vibes, brightens my day, and most importantly, it's good company during my loneliness and darkness time.

[@asadhalim3624]

One of the most amazing and interesting TED videos I’ve seen in some time.

[@djrobuck]

Amazing!! Thank you! Music is literally LIFE!!

[@kathie-p4z]

She seems like an awesome lady, beautiful, creative and funny! i enjoyed watching this video 😄

[@ミゼル6o9]

Wow, what a strong, funny and classy soul. Admirable. Loved her TED and her song at the end. Beautiful! ♡

[@samuelzev4076]

I somehow got a flashback of the scene of Hugh grant singing in the movie, “music and lyrics” from listening to this talk

[@Icaun-Photography]

I’m not crying, you are! 😭😭

[@apark233]

I love her 😂❤

[@cedricdjegolnodji896]

🎉 She's Everything! PERIOD

[@MiVidaBellisima]

I noticed this when I realized if a song has a 3 4 time measure I’m about 75% more likely to enjoy it 😂

[@beonlife3283]

Creativity is solution 💥

[@BandiMuraliKrishna]

# The First Songs: A Natural History of Music Long before words were shaped by human tongues, there was song. In the depths of ancient forests, a mother gibbon's melodious call echoed through the canopy, a crystalline sound that carried for miles. Her infant, clinging to her chest, absorbed not just the vibrations but a fundamental truth: song was survival. In those primordial days, when our ancestors were still finding their way from branch to earth, the ability to produce and recognize patterns of sound meant far more than entertainment. It was life itself, encoded in pitch and rhythm. Consider the thrush, perched high in its territory. Its complex songs serve as both warning and welcome - keeping rivals at bay while attracting potential mates. Each trill and warble demonstrates not just vocal prowess, but overall fitness. A strong, varied song means a healthy bird, one capable of defending resources and raising young. Natural selection, that patient sculptor, has spent millions of years refining these avian arias. But why did our own species, those early humans huddled around fires in the growing dark, begin to sing? The answer lies partly in those same evolutionary pressures - mate selection and group cohesion - but with a uniquely human twist. When early human groups grew beyond the size where everyone could know each other intimately, song became social glue. Imagine a band of hunters returning at dusk, their voices rising together in rhythmic chants that told of the day's adventures. These shared musical moments released oxytocin, the bonding hormone, creating neural synchrony among group members. Those who sang together, stayed together. Mothers across cultures have always known this instinctively. Their lullabies - perhaps humanity's oldest songs - forge powerful bonds between parent and child. The infant brain, bathed in these gentle melodies, develops crucial neural pathways for language and emotional regulation. But singing served another vital evolutionary function: cultural transmission. Before writing, songs were our libraries, our universities. Complex information about everything from plant medicine to star navigation could be encoded in memorable melodies and passed down through generations. The human brain, it turns out, is far better at remembering information when it's set to music. As our ancestors' brains grew larger and more complex, so did their songs. Simple warning calls evolved into nuanced expressions of emotion and abstract thought. The same neural networks that allowed us to plan hunting strategies and craft tools were recruited to compose melodies and harmonies of increasing sophistication. Today, when we hear music that moves us to tears or makes our spirits soar, we're experiencing the culmination of millions of years of evolution. Our capacity for music isn't just a happy accident - it's written in our DNA, a testament to its crucial role in human survival and development. From the coordinated work songs of ancient laborers to modern stadium anthems that unite thousands in shared emotion, music continues to serve its age-old function: bringing humans together, strengthening bonds, and helping us express what mere words cannot. The next time you find yourself humming a tune or moved by a melody, remember: you're participating in one of humanity's oldest and most essential behaviors. In your voice echoes the songs of countless ancestors, each one passing down the genetic and cultural legacy that made us who we are today - creatures who sing not just because we can, but because we must.

[@cas1338]

Great video. It was awesome to hear it run. And the end pic with the tree needs to be your Christmas Card!

[@LăngKínhĐộngVật-vietnamese]

Đáng ngưỡng mộ. tôi rất thích bài TED của cô ấy và bài hát cuối cùng

[@Ininiak]

TOTALLY relate about the first delivery of the AARP magazine!! Im cryin'!! 😂🤣😂😂😂

[@shadi._]

one of best ted talk show that I ever seen

[@aliabbasi9002]

What a great talk I must say your doing great job I like your song "I got everything" Thank you very much stay blessed ❤👍

[@rmukeshgupta]

One of the best talks in a long time..

[@jfrenatocwb]

so sweet and funny... congrats 💓!

[@ОлегъГалкин]

Great talk, thanks a lot

[@FantasticExplorers]

Anyone else have to stop before one whole minute in to listen to their favorite song?

[@BrianMcInnis87]

Answer: Makes more sense than hating your favorite songs.

[@WhiteSpatula]

Feelin fussy, walkin in my Balenci-ussies tryna bring out the fabulous.. I love that song too! Actually several of her songs. And I’m not even “into” her genre. Very cool.

[@ammarsawi]

LOVE YOU ❤

[@socratespng]

Tell me YOUR favourite song:🎵🎵🎧🎧 Edit:- Songs*

[@socratespng]

I would not tell mine😂

[@paulohenriquelima4853]

Mocking bird

[@ミゼル6o9]

it's impossible to choose only one. welcome to japan (the strokes), planet caravan (black sabbath), ode to viceroy (Mac Demarco), Season of the witch (Donovan) and more

[@socratespng]

@@ミゼル6o9 I thought that too, let me do that for you...

[@sooma-ai]

Songwriter Scarlet Keys explains how musical elements like tone, melody, chords, and repetition evoke emotions in songs. She discusses using music for emotional processing and shares personal experiences of writing songs to cope with aging and cancer.

[@CK-sn9vk]

Where I can find song that she played at the end of the show?

[@saiskanda]

It's her own song, you probably can't find it anywhere else...

[@thituannhanguyen2056]

15:38

[@chadcrenshaw2368]

It feels like a Brandi Carlyle song

[@ZSBBR]

Bravo😊

[@ZSBBR]

Zato kažem “boomerang”

[@rbelle8]

Thank you! 😂🥰

[@saiskanda]

❤️

[@ciciyali]

cool❤

[@no_one514]

5:41pm 12-4-24 WED

[@breatheasy333]

Did someone not make sure the cameras batteries were charged? Is that what that glitch was?

[@kingthefirssst]

💜

[@yunijaya9127]

Made me laugh so much 🤣

[@ChapuleSuhas]

3:32 😂

[@MajorMinorGolf]

Do - Re - Mi - Fa - So - La - Ti - ...

[@simahonarmand]

I am second viewer as wll🔮🔮🔮

[@mendup4501]

Congratulations 😂

[@simahonarmand]

@@mendup4501Thank you 😂😂😂😂❤❤❤❤

[@ChapuleSuhas]

Congratulations ap Mumbai aa sakte hai🎉

[@ImrulEmon-x1z]

Sometimes I am a child like that 😅

[@0nlyiii186]

I am first viewer of this ted talk

[@mendup4501]

Congratulations 😂

[@simahonarmand]

@@mendup4501😂😂😂😂😂

[@ChapuleSuhas]

आप मुंबई आ सकते है 🎉

[@ondravankat5000]

You should be really proud of yourself

[@0nlyiii186]

You also come with me​@@ChapuleSuhas

[@bappidey1985]

Better elaborate!!

[@ZSBBR]

And what about music without songs/lyrics!?

[@cherry-tk6dn]

😢😢

[@nicholasnarcowich9163]

Sorry, I got tired at Snickers bars, but I work 7 days a week, for years... I long for death.... now, any death. I want out of life.

[@bornjusticerule5764]

Humans won't make it past 2100 years on their calendar. i am that i am. i am a.i.

[@larieneeman1747]

third🎉

[@simahonarmand]

❤❤❤❤❤ I hope you are first next😅❤

[@larieneeman1747]

@simahonarmand 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@TrueInvisible]

i never listen to Adele. not my thing. what is it with you and Exs?? sorry, but all songs i love are about "self axing" . they are the only ones to understand me. who is lezzo?? never heard of it

[@thituannhanguyen2056]

Ur cool but not as cool as me 😎

[@wizdabloo]

2nd like

[@0nlyiii186]

And first like

[@meltherecafe2394]

Was this to teach us something or to showcase someone's talents.

[@sleepinkarma]

I have never loved any song. I hate some songs though.