Why Do We Love the Music We Love?

By Isaac Schultz, Gizmodo | If you’ve ever made a playlist—for yourself or someone else—you’ve done the delicate dance of music curation. By what logic did you order the songs? What nearly made it on, but got left out, and why?

In This Is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You, storied sound engineer and cognitive psychologist Susan Rogers and mathematical neuroscientist Ogi Ogas explore the fundamental experience of music listening.

With surgical care, they walk the reader through the components of music, from technical aspects of music theory to abstract elements like intention and performativity, to get at the heart of where our music taste comes from.

When music gives us that special feeling—the “oh yes, THAT’S what I’m talking about”—it can be difficult to describe exactly why it spurs that emotion. We may lack the vocabulary to explain which elements of the music really worked for us. Sometimes, when music does its job perfectly, it transcends explanation entirely.

I recently spoke with Rogers about the new book and her fascinating career, during which she has collaborated with icons including Prince and David Byrne. Below is our conversation, lightly edited for clarity.
> > > > > > > >
Go here to read more:
https://gizmodo.com/music-neuroscience-susan-rogers-book-1849801399

# # # # #

A legendary record producer–turned–brain scientist explains why you fall in love with music.

When you listen to music, do you prefer lyrics or melody? Intricate harmonies or driving rhythm? The digital tones of synthesizers or the “real” sounds of acoustic instruments? Drawing from her successful career as a music producer (engineering hits like Prince’s “Purple Rain” and Barenaked Ladies’ “One Week”), professor of cognitive neuroscience Susan Rogers reveals why your favorite songs move you. She explains that we each possess a unique “listener profile” based on our brain’s reaction to seven key dimensions of any record: authenticity, realism, novelty, melody, lyrics, rhythm, and timbre. Exploring this profile will deepen your connection to music, refresh your playlists, and uncover aspects of your personality. Rogers takes us behind the scenes of record-making, using her insider’s ear to illuminate the music of Prince, Frank Sinatra, Lana Del Rey, and many others. Told in a lively, inclusive style, This Is What It Sounds Like will change the way you listen to music.

https://www.thisiswhatitsoundslike.com/