Scientists have discovered that when music begins, the brain’s timing systems do more than track the beat, they pull the eyelids into rhythm as well. In a PLOS Biology study, researchers found that spontaneous blinks naturally synchronize with musical pulses, revealing an unexpected motor response woven into the act of listening.⁠ ⁠ In four experiments with 123 young adults, none trained as musicians, scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences combined eye-tracking, EEG, and brain imaging while volunteers listened to steady-tempo classical pieces. Even without moving, participants blinked in time with the beat, and their brainwaves showed the same rhythmic alignment. The effect persisted when songs played backward, when familiar melodies were stripped away, and when music was reduced to simple tone sequences.⁠ ⁠ Diffusion MRI helped explain why some people lock onto rhythm more tightly than others. Stronger blink-to-beat precision was linked to distinct microstructure in the left su...