Complexity Digest 2008.23 - 05

5-June-2008

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Aletter from Gottfried Mayer to our readers and friends is at http://www.comdig.de/GMLetter.html

Science & Music: The Neural Roots Of Music, Nature Bookmark and Share

Excerpts: Certain sounds elicit specific, powerful emotions in people, presumably a testament to the evolutionary heritage of our auditory systems. Low, loud, dissonant sounds evoke fear; rapid, higher, consonant sounds evoke friendliness or joy. Mothers around the world talk and sing to infants using a cooing tone of voice and higher pitch than when interacting with adults. Infants prefer these higher-pitched vocalizations and mothers sing in different styles to help prelinguistic infants regulate their emotional state. Across cultures, songs sung while playing with babies are fast, high and contain exaggerated rhythmic accents; lullabies are lower, slower and softer.