The relationship between individual sensitivity to music reward and rhythmic processing

Rhythm is a fundamental aspect of music, naturally developing in humans, engaging perceptual, emotional, and motor processes, and in turn relying on multiple cognitive functions such as memory and attention. Rhythm is also closely linked to music reward, as musical pleasure arises from making and resolving predictions about temporal structures. However, this relationship remains largely unexplored. To fill this gap, in the present study, a sample of non-musicians (i.e., with less than 3 years of formal musical training, N = 121) performed tasks and questionnaires assessing the multidimensional nature of rhythmic abilities and the individual sensitivity to music reward (i.e., musical hedonia). Rhythmic skills were indexed measuring rhythm production (Finger-Tapping), perception (CA-BAT), and memory (MET), while musical hedonia was evaluated using the extended version of the Barcelona Music Reward Questionnaire (eBMRQ). Results indicated that individuals with higher musical hedonia showed higher timing consistency in the Finger-Tapping task and increased sensitivity to asynchrony variations in the CA-BAT. Additional analyses restricted to participants with 0 years of formal musical training showed a similar effect for the MET task, with higher musical hedonia predicting higher accuracy. Beyond this general trend, we also found specific subcomponents of the eBMRQ to be specifically related to enhanced rhythmic perception, production, or memory outcomes. These findings clearly demonstrate a relationship between rhythmic skills and individual sensitivity to music reward, suggesting that musical hedonia is strongly associated with rhythmic processing.