Reflections on the Musical Mind – An Evolutionary Perspective

"The many aspects of music--its social, emotional, cognitive, somatic, and evaluative components--all have their analogs in activities of the human brain. So it makes sense for a neuroscientist, especially one well versed in music, to explain these connections. By taking an evolutionary perspective and asking the difficult why questions--Why do we have music? Why might it be beneficial for society? Why is music linked with dancing? Why do we respond emotionally to music?--Schulkin engages his reader in issues that have been debated for centuries but that now can be examined afresh."--from the foreword by Robert O. Gjerdingen

"With an evident love of music and exemplary cross-disciplinary knowledge, Schulkin delves into the sources of musical expression, its social functions of communication and bonding, and its central role in our quest for purpose. Investigating animal song, the neurochemical basis of musical experience, the way music unites us into groups, and the intimate tie of music and bodily motion, Schulkin ultimately sees music as a universal form of inquiry into human meaning."--Mark Johnson, University of Oregon

"Featuring authoritative, clear discussion of scientific data with aesthetic, philosophical, and personal perspectives, Reflections on the Musical Mind tackles music and its roles in human societies. Jay Schulkin melds considerations of aesthetics with cognition, and neurobiology with human nature to explore the cognitive systems involved in musical production and perception, and how music, movement, multiple senses, and emotion are intimately intertwined."--Iain Morley, author of The Prehistory of Music

"The affective neuroscience of music is a relatively new topic. This excellent, novel, and highly creative book brings it alive, with a diverse array of insights from philosophy, cognitive science, neuropsychology, and evolutionary biology. Schulkin clearly is a master when it comes to thinking about the brain and music."--Kent Berridge, University of Michigan

"Reflections on the Musical Mind discusses the relationships between music, the evolutionary psychology of music, and molecular, cognitive, and social neuroscience. Although one can take issue with some of the arguments presented, this book is a useful and entertaining survey of a wide range of neuroscience evidence related to music and the brain."--Peter Cariani, Harvard Medical School