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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: The Science of a Human Obsession Hardback - 2006

by Daniel J. Levitin

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Summary

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.

Reader reviews for This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession

From the publisher

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.

Details

  • Title This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession
  • Author Daniel J. Levitin
  • Binding Hardback
  • Edition First Edition
  • Pages 314
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Dutton Books, New York
  • Publication date August 3, 2006
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9780525949695 / 0525949690
  • Weight 1.1 lbs (0.50 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.2 in (23.11 x 16.00 x 3.05 cm)
  • Age range 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Category Music/Songbooks
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2006009055
  • Dewey Decimal Code 781.11

Media reviews

"I loved reading that listening to music coordinates more disparate parts of the brain than most anything else—and playing music uses even more! Deepens the beautiful mystery that is music." —David Byrne, musician, artist, and founder of Talking Heads

"Every musician, at whatever level of skill, should read this book. And that means all of us." —Howie Klein, former president, Sire and Reprise/Warner Brothers Records

"Dr. Levitin is an unusually deft interpreter full of striking scientific trivia." —The New York Times

About the author

Daniel J. Levitin runs the Levitin Laboratory for Musical Perception, Cognition, and Expertise at McGill University, where he holds the Bell Chair in the Psychology of Electronic Communications. Before becoming a neuroscientist, he was a record producer with gold records to his credit and professional musician. He has published extensively in scientific journals and music trade magazines such as Grammy and Billboard.

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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: The Science of a Human Obsession

by Levitin, Daniel J.

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by Daniel J. Levitin

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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 : The Science of a Human Obsession
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This Is Your Brain on Music : The Science of a Human Obsession

by Levitin, Daniel J

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Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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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 : The Science of a Human Obsession

by Levitin, Daniel J

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9780525949695 / 0525949690
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Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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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 : The Science of a Human Obsession

by Levitin, Daniel J

  • Used
Condition
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780525949695 / 0525949690
Quantity available
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Item price
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Show details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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Item price
A$15.02
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