Harry Witchel
online access from ProQuest Ebook Central
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Have you ever wondered why music makes you feel so good? Why did we evolve to have music, and what does music do to us?
You Are What You Hear is a bit of a romp compared to the usual science book. Dr. Witchel, a specialist in music, pleasure and the brain, explains how the body and the brain are influenced by different kinds of music, why some music makes us joyous, while other music makes us sad, or angry, or anxious, and how the brain interprets this music. He also shows how music plays with your mind what you think, how you decide what to buy, and even how smart you are.
Pondering the musicality of everything from bird songs to the language he calls "motherese," Dr. Witchel illustrates the power of music and addresses the questions:
- Why do we listen to music?
- Why does music make sex better?
- Why do some people love Beethoven and others rap music?
- Is musical taste 100% nurture, or is there a role for nature?
- Why do aggressive young men blare out booming music from their cars?
- Why do we listen to sad music?
- Does violent music lead to violent behavior?
- Does listening to Mozart make you smarter or just happier?
- Does music make the brain grow larger?
- Can music surreptitiously influence what we decide to buy in shops?
- Can music cure?
Dr. Witchel's interests run the gamut from music, dating and laughter to the body language of the British Prime Minister, which he has analyzed on the BBC. he shows that, like birds, we use music to establish and reinforce territory, for ourselves and for our social groups. In this way, music defines who we are.
You Are What You Hear is an erudite and entertaining study that is unique in many ways. No other book has thoroughly elaborated the connection between music and social territory in humans, although in other music-making species scientists have shown this connection to be clear-cut. Given the wealth of scientific evidence and historical narratives presented in
You Are What You Hear, an intellectual investigation of this avenue is long overdue. Written by a psychobiologist, the work straddles hard science and psychology, approaching music from a unique interdisciplinary perspective. Successfully bridging these strands of evidence,
You Are What You Hear elucidates the significance of territory not only in music but in daily life. This lively and engaging book will have a broad appeal not only to the general public, but to students interested in the relationship between music and culture. Anyone from seventeen to seventy will have the potential to gain something from this book.
(Excerpt from amazon.com)
「旅行，造就了人。我仍舊探訪著世界上的城市，穿梭漫遊在大大小小的通路與街道，一再地行走、逗留在綿延不絕的巷弄裡而留下我的足跡。緊張與不安當中一個人迷失在不知名的地方，因著孤獨而感到嚴苛、迷惘，甚至不知所措。但總是能在那當中找出一條活路，順利地全身而退，並繼續邁向下一個旅程。……我的人生也可算是一段旅程吧。在沒有接受專門教育的狀況下而志向建築這件事情，就如同獨自在緊張與不安下迷失在一個陌生地方一樣。……然而像現在這樣回過頭來看，我寧可將那視為是因著在那苦難當中以所得的體驗作為食糧，自己才得以一直生存到現在。往往在孤獨與不安、一個人在都市裡彷徨的時候，那樣的感覺便更明顯而具體地流露出來。……旅行，也造就了建築家。」－－安藤忠雄
