Every week Charlotte and I curate information on how music affects human beings and we post them over on our Scoop.it page here.  We look at hundreds of different articles spanning neuroscience to psychobabble and try to highlight the good stuff.

Going forward we're going to publish a weekly summary here on the music2work2 blog as an easy reference for those of you interested in this kind of thing.

 
 

A Musical Mission To Improve The Lives Of Elders With Dementia - NBC News

The conversation on how music can help the elderly is picking up steam - the famous Henry Alzheimer's video which was published back in 2011 now has 1.5 million views.  This is an interview with a filmmaker who's documentary "Alive inside" highlights how music can have a huge impact on the lives of those with dementia.  It's insightful and touching - well worth a read. 

 

Pop music is making us depressed. But there’s a happy pill for that

Hysterically funny love letter to Hayley Williams of Paramore wrapped in a smattering of relevant research mixed with a healthy contempt for today's plastic pop stars - definitely worth a read!

 

To cut down on sugar just change the background music - Telegraph

Really interesting idea but with fairly anecdotal and small study evidence.  But the promise of  making a dish seem 10% more sweet or sour just by altering the audio environment does open a lot of doors.  While there is definitely opportunity here - I'm a little suspicious of the wine pairings at the end of the article - a fun read!

 

To The Beat And Sound - The Sport In Mind – Sport Psychology

Some nice data here backed with research - the big takeaways are the use of music to either psych the athlete up - or to calm them down - clear evidence that the right playlist can achieve both ends.  interesting data on German soccer players improving their motor skills when listening to  music of a set rhythm - hopefully they won't be wearing them when they face theUSAon Tuesday! 

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