This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession

The title This Is Your Brain on Music refers to the famous and often-parodied 1987 antidrug campaign “This Is Your Brain on Drugs” (for which posters featured eggs cooking in a frying pan). Why might Levitin have chosen to name his book in reference to this campaign? Discuss the pop-culture impact of the campaign and how it relates to Levitin’s work and audience.

How does Levitin’s use of personal anecdotes contribute to his writing’s impact and effectiveness? Pay particular attention to his use of emotive language, his choice of autobiographical topics, and his construction of a personal brand/identity.

This Is Your Brain on Music, and scientific literature more generally, often compares and contrasts music with language. How do comparisons with language contribute to the theme of Music as a Universal Aspect of Human Civilizations? Analyze the differences and similarities between the cognitive basis for music and the cognitive basis for language, as well as the role of each in society.

Many theories in cognitive science remain unproven, and significant debate continues over the relationship between music and the brain. Levitin is vocal about his own position on many divisive topics, particularly on music as a basis for sexual selection rather than as an ornamental outgrowth, or “spandrel” of speech. Directly referencing the text, analyze and explain Levitin’s use of rhetorical techniques and persuasive language to argue his perspective.

This Is Your Brain on Music was first published in 2006, almost 20 years ago. Have technological and scientific advances in the last two decades undermined or invalidated any of the book’s assertions? How might present-day readers interpret or react differently to the book compared with readers from 2006?

Levitin describes music education as “the poor stepchild of public schools” (226). What role does education and training play in the pursuit of musical proficiency and attainment? Consider this question within the thematic context of The Components of Musical Ability.

In Chapter 6, Levitin notes that many disagreements between scientists were simply due to differences in the definition and usage of key terms. Only when such misunderstandings were uncovered and remedied did meaningful progress occur. To what extent is Levitin successful in anticipating and counteracting such misunderstandings in This Is Your Brain on Music, and what unique challenges do the book’s target readers (the general public) pose in this regard?

Research the impact that science education can have on emotional experience and artistic expression. Summarize your research and then explain how Levitin’s research on the human brain supports the idea that knowledge affects the perception and enjoyment of music.