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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Talent, you’re born with. Creativity, you can grow yourself.

In such states of creative divergent thinking, the body is aroused and the pupils become dilated.

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Creativity, it is said, is intelligence having fun.
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Five essential writing tips backed by science

Will Storr has written a masterful guide to writing with "The Science of Storytelling."

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  • In "The Science of Storytelling," journalist Will Storr investigates the science behind great storytelling.
  • While good plots are important, Storr writes that great stories revolve around complex characters.
  • As in life, readers are drawn to flawed characters, yet many writers become too attached to their protagonists.
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Move over, math. The universal language is world music.

A new study finds that societies use the same acoustic features for the same types of songs, suggesting universal cognitive mechanisms underpinning world music.

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  • Every culture in the world creates music, though stylistic diversity hides their core similarities.
  • A new study in Science finds that cultures use identifiable acoustic features in the same types of songs and that tonality exists worldwide.
  • Music is one of hundreds of human universals ethnographers have discovered.
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Not sure what to do with your life? You're on a path to success.

In David Epstein's 'Range', dabblers and dillettantes are ascendant.

  • There are more paths to professional success than practicing for 10,000 hours, says David Epstein.
  • In his new book 'Range', the author illustrates the benefits of being a generalist in a specialized world.
  • While the conclusions are good news, they're not as surprising as Epstein might believe.
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