This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession
Whether you load your iPod with Bach or Bono, music has a significant role in your life—even if you never realized it. Why does music evoke such powerful moods? The answers are at last be- coming clear, thanks to revolutionary neuroscience and the emerging field of evolutionary psychology. Both a cutting-edge study and a tribute to the beauty of music itself, This Is Your Brain on Music unravels a host of mysteries that affect everything from pop culture to our understanding of human nature, including:
• Are our musical preferences shaped in utero?
• Is there a cutoff point for acquiring new tastes in music?
• What do PET scans and MRIs reveal about the brain's response to music?
• Is musical pleasure different from other kinds of pleasure?
This Is Your Brain on Music explores cultures in which singing is considered an essential human function, patients who have a rare disorder that prevents them from making sense of music, and scientists studying why two people may not have the same definition of pitch. At every turn, this provocative work unlocks deep secrets about how nature and nurture forge a uniquely human obsession. BACKCOVER: “I know Dan to have a deep musical knowledge and strong intellect combined with a warm spirit and a big heart. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of popular music . . . He is a fine writer and has the ability to make difficult concepts very clear.”
—STEVIE WONDER
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104 Reviews
| From: Amazon Posted: Jun 30, 2008 Type: User Review |
Irritating
I, too, found the endless name-dropping endlessly irritating. As to the rest - I leave it to the more knowledgeable among us. However, I do recommend reading ALL the reviews before reading the book.
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 2.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Jun 24, 2008 Type: User Review |
great, a revelation
As a professional musician and a medical doctor, I must say it is the best book on music - in all its facets - that I've ever read.
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 5.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Jun 21, 2008 Type: User Review |
Amazing facts from a uniquely well-informed expert
The author is very experienced in both the relevant science, and the real music industry. I have a strong sense that he knows what he's talking about and is highly credible. The writing style is excellent. There were all kinds of facts in here...
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5.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Jun 08, 2008 Type: User Review |
On the whole, not worthwhile
Like many of the negative reviewers, I found that *This Is Your Brain on Music* didn't enhance either my knowledge of music or of cognitive science. It's not without any substance, but that substance has been spread pretty thinly, and it offers...
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2.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: May 25, 2008 Type: User Review |
Very interesting
I am a musician and although I have not yet finished the book it has captivated me and helped me realize why I am the way I am and maybe why others are the way they are as far as music choices. God made us incredible!
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5.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: May 23, 2008 Type: User Review |
Attempts to popularize recent pscyhology research on music
And fails. Two main problems:
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2.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: May 05, 2008 Type: User Review |
Engaging...
I absolutely love this book. It discusses all the parts of music that I have ever wondered about (being a musician myself.) I enjoyed this book so much because it's easy to read but also extremely engaging. David Levitin is so brilliant and...
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5.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Apr 23, 2008 Type: User Review |
Plenty of detail
The most striking feature of this book for me is that it blurs the line between music as an aesthetic experience & the study of the brain as a scientific exercise.
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 4.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Apr 05, 2008 Type: User Review |
Triviality masquerading as science
Think about earworms, you know, those tunes that you can't stop playing back in your head.
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2.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Mar 18, 2008 Type: User Review |
"A Little Knowledger is a Dangerous Thing"
Daniel J. Levitin is a hack. He is a living embodyment of the term used in the title of this review. There is no science here, only opinion and second hand knowledge that anyone with any amount of musical education already knows. He should read...
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2.00/5 |
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