The Universal Sense: How Hearing Shapes the Mind - Softcover

Horowitz, Seth

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1608198839 ISBN 13: 9781608198832

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA, 2013

Synopsis

Every day, we are beset by millions of sounds-ambient ones like the rumble of the train and the hum of air conditioner, as well as more pronounced sounds, such as human speech, music, and sirens. How do we know which sounds should startle us, which should engage us, and which should turn us off?

Why do we often fall asleep on train rides or in the car? Is there really a musical note that can make you sick to your stomach? Why do city folks have trouble sleeping in the country, and vice versa?In this fascinating exploration, research psychologist and sound engineer Seth Horowitz shows how our sense of hearing manipulates the way we think, consume, sleep, and feel.

Starting with the basics of the biology, Horowitz explains why we hear what we hear, and in turn, how we've learned to manipulate sound: into music, commercial jingles, car horns, and modern inventions like cochlear implants, ultrasound scans, and the mosquito ringtone. Combining the best parts of This is Your Brain on Music and The Emotional Brain, this book gives new insight into what really makes us tick.

About this title

About the Author:

Seth Horowitz, Ph.D is an assistant research professor in the departments of neuroscience and psychology at Brown University. He is the co-founder of NeuroPop, the first sound design and consulting firm to use neurosensory and psychophysical algorithms in music, sound design, and sonic branding. He is married to sound artist China Blue and lives in Warick, RI.

From Booklist:

We live in a sonic world. Sounds and vibration affect our mood, memories, and mind. Neuroscientist Horowitz’s aim is to amp up understanding and respect for our auditory environment. He draws on physiology, physics, and psychology to demonstrate “how sound and hearing have shaped the evolution, development, and day-to-day function of the mind.” Sound assists in mating, playing, and acquiring food. Hearing helps us stay vigilant and monitor our surroundings. Horowitz contemplates the difficulty in defining music and how it influences the mind. He highlights the power of acoustics by invoking our usual reaction to the noise of fingernails scraping across a blackboard, the employment of echolocation by bats, and the love songs of frogs. He defuses the hype of sound-based weaponry that dates back to Joshua and his hundreds of warriors who blew on rams’ horns and shouted in unison to collapse the walls of Jericho. It must be myth or miracle, since physics alone cannot explain the magnitude of such a sonic blast. The science of sound is fascinating, and Horowitz is an author worth listening to. --Tony Miksanek

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1608198839
• ISBN 13: 9781608198832
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320