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This Is Your Brain on Music

The Science of a Human Obsession

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This Is Your Brain on Music

Written by: Daniel J. Levitin
Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
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About this listen

 In this groundbreaking union of art and science, rocker-turned-neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin explores the connection between music - its performance, its composition, how we listen to it, why we enjoy it - and the human brain. Drawing on the latest research and on musical examples ranging from Mozart to Duke Ellington to Van Halen, Levitin reveals:

  • How composers produce some of the most pleasurable effects of listening to music by exploiting the way our brains make sense of the world
  • Why we are so emotionally attached to the music we listened to as teenagers, whether it was Fleetwood Mac, U2, or Dr. Dre
  • That practice, rather than talent, is the driving force behind musical expertise
  • How those insidious little jingles (called earworms) get stuck in our heads

    And, taking on prominent thinkers who argue that music is nothing more than an evolutionary accident, Levitin argues that music is fundamental to our species, perhaps even more so than language. This Is Your Brain on Music is an unprecedented, eye-opening investigation into an obsession at the heart of human nature.

    • ©2007 Daniel J. Levitin (P)2007 Penguin Audio, a member of Penguin Group (USA), Inc. and Books on Tape. All rights reserved.     Music Psychology Human Brain Brain Science
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    What the critics say

    "Levitin's snappy prose and relaxed style quickly win one over and will leave readers thinking about the contents of their iPods in an entirely new way." ( Publishers Weekly)
    "Levitin is a deft and patient explainer of the basics for the non-scientist as well as the non-musician....By tracing music's deep ties to memory, Levitin helps quantify some of music's magic without breaking its spell." ( Los Angeles Times Book Review)

    What listeners say about This Is Your Brain on Music

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    Profile Image for iam1smiley1

    Well worth the listen!

    You'll never see your brain and music the same again. Easy to follow and the reader has a wonderful voice 🤣

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    Full of chewy thoughts

    Insightful and well constructed. Excellent pacing and well read. Will listen to it many times

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    Profile Image for Scott Mackintosh

    Great if you are writing a PhD on music

    The narrator did a good job presenting the material. The material would be interesting and useful if you were doing a PhD in music. As a parent I was hoping to get a better understanding of how music might influence kids that have ADHD and other mental health issues. From that perspective there wasn't a lot here. There also didn't seem to be much structure to how the information was presented nor did it rap in to any meaningful kind of a conclusion. Unless you are a serious scholar on this topic you are not going to enjoy this book in my opinion.

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