This Is Your Brain on Music

The Science of a Human Obsession

De: Daniel J. Levitin

Narrado por: Edward Herrmann

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.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"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)

Well done could be even more science-based

I thought this book was very interesting and thought-provoking. I would have enjoyed it even more with injections of more medical or science-based studies and evidence. But it is very good, especially in audio book format since he has audio examples throughout, and these audio clips really bring his points to life. In short, this book is definitely worth listening to and/or reading especially if you like music, which so many of us do.

Superb! Highly recommend this audio book!

Not only does this cover a lot about the science of how we relate to music, it includes information that gave me a lot of general insight into our minds. This is a superb book, and I highly recommend it to people who want to increase their appreciation for music, and to people who make music.

very in depth and covers every aspect of the title

very awesome book but personally will have to read/listen to many times to grasp it all

and I need a heading too

Want the unabridged version. I have to keep typing until I reach 20 words before I can submit it ... ok. enough yet?

How the brain listens to music

I love the title but what does it mean? The title of this review is my answer to that question after listening to the book.

It is a most interesting unusual book about music at the intersection of emotions, the brain and cognitive behavioral science. It is a musical journey sort of like learning about your girlfriend by starting with her DNA.

There seem to be about 200 people in the Western world focus on this area of music and cognition. It is an eye-opener regarding the area that it focuses on. I.e. Animal and human music and its associated biology and sociology.

What it does not do is touch on spiritual development or physical health maintenance and or improvement. So it would seem from the section on music history the that the 200 focused in this area are unaware of classical African civilization, Kemet (Ancient Egypt) and the earliest music notation in Recorded history and its cosmological utilization.

Levitin, takes a most interesting look at the role of music in mans animal nature and the transition to his human nature. It would be interesting to see levitin in his next work or some other musicologist pick up this discussion at the intersection cognitive behaviorism advances like ACT and musical human transcendence technology focused on man's spiritual nature as in the Ausarian musical orientation.

A good read for folks focused in the areas mentioned above. A shocking read for those who just like to make, listen or dance to music. Lol 🎼👁👍🏿

A bit heady, very interesting, point of debate

As a life-long music fan and a dance teacher for adults with disabilities, I have one point to dispute. I have seen many many many people on the autism spectrum who thoroughly enjoy and can produce and create incredible music and dance.
I don't know where the author got his information, but it doesn't ring true for what I have seen over the past 20 years. Music therapy is an amazing tool for children with autism precisely because so many of them love it! Maybe it starts with an attraction to the structure, but I don't believe that is where it ends.
I found it a little challenging to follow all the science parts, but overall I really enjoyed this deep dive into music and its role in our lives. I am excited to find out what happens next in this field.

super scientific and well written

I loved this book ,super scientific enjoyable and well written.I will definitely re-read it again

Interesting, but Abridged?

I have always been intrigued with this subject and always wondered why we enjoy music so much, and how our brains evolved to interpret it the way we do.

I listened to every word on this book, and I welcomed the detailed explanation of musical terms and definitions. But I finished wishing that I had listened to the unabridged version. There was a big gap between the study of our the connections between our reptilian and rational brains, and the cultural reasons (mostly sexual) for using music as an expression of ourselves.

I really enjoyed the fact that the author took the time to insert musical examples. Usually audio books are basically read aloud, but this one includes music. I wish it had more of it.

Because the book was abridged, I was left with that strange feeling we get when we listen to a beautiful musical piece, and the last note is left unplayed. A feeling of incompleteness, but the knowledge that the author meant well. If you can deal with those feelings, then buy the audio book. If not, I suggest you read it the old fashioned way.

Left me wanting to hear more

This abridged edition definitely felt shortened - it did sound like many subjects were not fully fleshed out and could have used more detailed explanation.

Good info on how the brain works

Good info on how the brain works, not just with music. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars was the heavy use of Evolutionary science. However it flows smoothly and answers many questions. One was why I can read without remembering what I read. I used to be a typesetter, transfering words and letters from customer's copy to my computer files to be printed and used on the printing press. The first answer came from the finding that the eyes or ears transfer information to several places in the brain, which explains why I could read text and type it into the computer without ever knowing what I typed.

Books like this are also helping me with my self taught college education.