Music affects us intellectually, emotionally, and even physically. We find out why. In science news, we learn what advances have been made to preserve the future fertility of young people who survive cancer. And we talk to an economics expert about Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s economic plan, announced in a speech in Detroit on Monday.
Featured in this Show
-
Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump Unveils His Economic Plan
On Monday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gave a speech in Detroit outlining his economic plan for the nation. We talk to an economic expert about this plan and contrast it with what’s been revealed so far from Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s economic plan.
-
Science News: Death From Above, Neolithic Site In Turkey, Fertility In Cancer Patients
Young people diagnosed with cancer have a lot of things to consider regarding treatment and the future…and one of those things is future fertility, especially for women. We learn about new research on how to best preserve fertility for women diagnosed with cancer with our regular science guest. We also talk about cyclical mass extinctions caused by extraterrestrial forces and a Neolithic site in Turkey.
-
Why Music Is So Powerful
Our taste in music may vary, but humans are hardwired to be affected intellectually, emotionally and physically by music. We find out what the science is behind why we love music.
-
Author: Research Links Music Taste And Personality
Musical taste is a very unique and personal thing. Some people love classic rock while others always tune into pop.
No matter the genre, music has a strong effect on the brain and the type of music people like says a lot about who individuals are, research has shown.
Psychologists concluded by the 1990s that there are five, maybe six, personality traits that can be reliably measured: conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness (which can also be called cultural or intellectual), and a combination of honesty and humility. By measuring each of these characteristics, a rough approximation of an individual’s personality can be reached and then linked to music taste.
“Some psychologists have linked various personalities to various sorts of music, and to do this they had to classify music into a very small number of titles,” said John Powell, author of “How Music Works,” and “Why You Love Music: From Mozart to Metallica—The Emotional Power of Beautiful Sound.”
The musical categories are:
- Reflective and complex music: classical, folk, jazz, and blues
- Intense and rebellious music: rock, alternative, heavy metal
- Upbeat and conventional music: pop, soundtracks, religious music, and country and western
- Energetic and rhythmic music: rap, soul and electronic
“It’s been found that enthusiasts for reflective and complex music tend to score high on intelligence but they’re very poor at sports. They’re good with words and they’re often politically towards the left,” Powell said.
People who like intense and rebellious music are smart, good with words and often skilled athletes, Powell said.
There are, of course, exceptions to these categories and the associated personality traits, but the good thing is people can expand their musical tastes using these categories, the author said.
“If you like rock, you’re probably going to like alternative music as well; and if you like country and western, you’ll probably like pop music and sound tracks as well,” Powell explained.
Part of the reason music is so important to lots of people is because the brain is almost hard-wired to use music. About 3 percent of the population is tone deaf, but for everyone else music is powerful, Powell said.
“If you think about your body having a sort of internal pharmacy which dispenses various chemicals to make you run away from danger or go to sleep, then music has the key to the pharmacy,” Powell said. “It can actually help dispense these chemicals when they’re required or … if you’re having trouble sleeping for example, you’ve got too much of a chemical called noradrenaline in your system, and just listening to classical music quietly before you go to bed can stop that problem and cure insomnia.”
Episode Credits
- Rob Ferrett Host
- Amanda Magnus Producer
- Judith Siers-Poisson Producer
- David Wessel Guest
- Gemma Tarlach Guest
- John Powell Guest
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.