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We hear it talked about all the time \u2013 but what actually is <\/em>tone deafness? Can people actually be tone deaf or are they simply unmusical? Here’s everything you need to know about the phenomenon of tone deafness. <\/strong><\/p> Do you find it difficult to sing in tune? Perhaps you made slow progress learning a musical instrument at school. This doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that you\u2019re tone deaf \u2013 a term that is often used fairly liberally to signify a general lack of musical talent. However, genuine tone deafness \u2013 or ‘amusia’ to use its technical term \u2013 is a congenital impairment that affects 4% of the population.<\/p> Those with the disorder are unable to discern differences in pitch or to follow and remember simple tunes. Some sufferers of amusia describe music as unpleasant, while others refer to it as noise.<\/p> Brain scans of people with amusia have revealed that there is a weaker connection between the part of the brain that processes sound and the part of the brain responsible for higher-level thinking. Brain imaging used to measure the density of connecting nerve fibres between the right frontal lobe, where higher thinking occurs, and the right temporal lobes, where basic sound processing occurs, showed thinner white matter, suggesting a weaker connection.<\/p> Some researchers believe there\u2019s a strong connection between how the brain processes music and how it handles speech, as the latter also relies strongly on pitch and rhythm. Others, though, contest that musical perception occurs separately from other functions, and that there are networks in our brains dedicated solely to music.<\/p> A study by Goldsmiths, University of London<\/a><\/strong> found that participants diagnosed with congenital amusia experienced difficulty reading facial expressions and discerning vocal emotions, and that they were unable to determine whether laughter is genuine or fake. The condition may therefore have wider social consequences than previously believed.<\/p>What is tone deafness?<\/h2>
What are the symptoms of tone deafness?<\/h2>
What\u2019s happening in the brains of amusiacs?<\/h2>
Is tone deafness connected to speech function?<\/h2>
Is tone deafness genetic?<\/h2>