Songs that build deep emotional bonds. Levitin notes that, “Humans around the world report not just a strong emotional bonding, from synchronized, coordinated movement together, but feelings of a spiritual nature.”

Songs that make you feel better. Levitin talks about how when we are sad, we are likely to turn to sad music for comfort, rather than happy music. He goes to explain that a calming hormone called prolactin is released in our tears when we are sad, leading to an improvement in our mood.

Songs that convey important or useful information. Knowledge songs can be children's songs or just everyday songs that give information about certain topics. Many knowledge songs are passed on from generation to generation.

Songs of ceremony and ritual. Levitin says religion songs "serve to bind animal rituals into systems of belief, and ultimately help to systematize and socialize feelings of hope and faith".