Musicians and their audiences show synchronized patterns of brain activity

Researchers observed "inter-brain coherence" (IBC) — a synchronisation in brain activity — between a musician and the audience.

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When a musician is playing a piece, and the audience is enjoying it, they can develop physical synchronies. Both might tap their feet, sway their bodies, or clap their hands.
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Get the sleep you deserve with this top-rated app's soothing melodies

Relax Melodies is the most positively reviewed app in the history of the App Store.

  • Blue light negatively impacts the secretion of melatonin, making it harder for smartphone and computer users to sleep.
  • Meditation has been shown to have a positive impact on sleep by increasing specific neurochemicals while decreasing stress.
  • Relax Melodies can help you get the sleep you need, and it's on sale.
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Two strategies for combating mental fatigue

Research from Denmark finds that mindfulness and music help sustain attention.

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  • Four weeks of mindfulness training and 12 minutes of binaural beats were found to increase attentional capacities after being mentally fatigued.
  • This research from the University of Southern Denmark provides important interventions during a stressful time.
  • Mental fatigue leads to higher incidences of workplace and traffic accidents as well as an inability to retain information.
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The story of "Lift Every Voice and Sing"

A song many consider the black national anthem rises again in the United States.

Image source: Herlanzer/Milan M/Shutterstock/Big Think
  • Written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson around 1900, "Lift Every Voice and Sing" tells a haunting story of spiritual survival.
  • The hymn is considered by many to be the black national anthem and has seen a resurgence lately in popular culture.
  • Music has a way of helping us feel others' story.
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Why are pop songs getting sadder than they used to be?

The use of words related to negative emotions has increased by more than one third.

Ron Howard/Redferns

Are popular songs today happier or sadder than they were 50 years ago?

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