The right song can make us feel chills, help pull us out of a bad mood, or take us back in time to the first time we heard it. Elizabeth Margulis, PhD, director of the Music Cognition Lab at Princeton University, talks about how music, memory, emotion and imagination intertwine; why people are especially attached to music from their teen years; whether there ... Show More
Jan 28
When your “mind’s eye” is blank: Understanding aphantasia, with Joel Pearson, PhD
People with aphantasia can’t visualize images in their mind’s eye. Ask them to picture an apple and they see a blank screen. Aphantasia researcher Joel Pearson, PhD, discusses how scientists are developing new methods to measure aphantasia beyond self-reports; how aphantasia may ... Show More
40m 11s
Jan 21
Inside the social minds -- and amazing memories -- of chimps and bonobos, with Laura Simone Lewis, PhD
Most of us could look at a decades-old yearbook and recognize many of the faces of our former classmates -- but humans aren't the only ones with this remarkable ability. Laura Simone Lewis, PhD, of the University of California, Santa Barbara, discusses her research on the long-te ... Show More
39m 36s
Jan 14
Precision mental health and personalized treatment, with Leanne Williams, PhD, and Zachary Cohen, PhD
Depression and anxiety look very different from one person to the next, and finding the right treatment can be a trial-and-error process. But researchers are working to change that. Leanne Williams, PhD, and Zachary Cohen, PhD, discuss the emerging field of precision or personali ... Show More
42m 9s
Oct 2021
The Healing Power of Pop with Esperanza Spalding
It. Has. Been. A. Year. We’ve felt it; you’ve felt it. Sometimes, it’s comforting to consider how universal that overwhelming sense of blah is. Other days, woof, it can be tough to see the light. That’s the subject of today’s episode, brought to you by our producer Megan Lubin. W ... Show More
35m 27s
Sep 2023
How to Use Music to Boost Motivation, Mood & Improve Learning
In this episode, I describe how your brain and body are fundamentally wired to perceive and respond to music and how those responses can be leveraged to improve your mood, allow for processing sad emotions and enhance learning and performance. I explain the data showing how music ... Show More
1h 41m
<p><!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p><strong>Why do some songs get stuck in our heads?</strong> In this episode, our presenter <a href= "https://www.ginnysmithscience.com/">Ginny Smith</a> explores the psychology of earworms. Ginny hears about the possible evolutionary reasons for why ... Show More