Musical reward prediction errors engage the nucleus accumbens and motivate learning

Significance Prediction errors are crucial for perception, learning, and adaptability. Can they also explain the abstract pleasures we derive from seemingly nonadaptive behaviors? We present evidence of musically elicited reward prediction errors (RPEs), illustrating that an abstract stimulus without apparent biological value can engage the reward system simply by manipulating expectations. Our results demonstrate that musical events can elicit formally modeled RPEs like those observed for concrete rewards, such as food or money, and that these signals support learning. This extension of the RPE model to music implies that predictive processing might play a much wider role in reward and pleasure than previously realized, and inspires new perspectives on aesthetics as well as potential therapeutic and educational applications.