Intentional | Audio Identity Blog

Photo credit: lilbear

The world of psychoacoustics is heating up lately, not only in our specific audio-branding field of work, but in the larger public sphere as well — it’s a topic that coworkers and friends alike seem to enjoy. Fortunately writers like Daniel Levitin and a handful of others are exploring the music-mind connection in a more approachable way than we’ve seen before. And now you or I no longer need a PhD to understand a little about the brain’s response to sound. We just need a sense of curiosity and a library card.

So, for those of you who are, indeed, curious and have a few bucks (or that library card), Oliver Sacks’ latest work is sure to please. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain is due in the US this fall. Sneak preview:

“Music can move us to the heights or depths of emotion. It can persuade us to buy something, or remind us of our first date. It can lift us out of depression when nothing else can. It can get us dancing to its beat. But the power of music goes much, much further. Indeed, music occupies more areas of our brain than language does—humans are a musical species.”

Audio bonus: the New Yorker has a 10-minute audio overview (MP3). Give it a listen and enjoy.