What can we deduce from hearing less than 1 second of music? Learn how accurately listeners can identify music genres from excerpts that are less than a quarter of a second long, and see how your brain does in a mini version of the experimental task. Our takeaways include how these sophisticated, split-second associations to music sometimes work against our better judgment.

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References

• Mace, S.T., Wagoner, C.L., Teachout, D.J., & Hodges, D.A. (2012). Genre identification of very brief musical excerpts. Psychology of Music, 40(1), 112-128. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735610391347

Song Excerpts

• Classical: Adagio for Strings (Barber), The Planets, Op. 32: IV (Holst), Trois Gymnopedies: I (Satie)
• Country: All I Want to Do (Sugarland), Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven (Kenny Chesney),
• Jazz: In the Mood (Glenn Miller), Take Five (Dave Brubeck), So What (Miles Davis)
• Metal: Troops of Doom (Sepultura), Madhouse (Anthrax)
• Hip-hop: Whatever You Like (T.I.), What Them Girls Like (Ludacris), Got Money (Lil Wayne & T-Pain)

Resources

• The Record: Q1 2025 U.S. Audio Listening Trends
• TokChart.com
• Harmony Healthcare American Phone Usage and Screen Time Statistics

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Can music change our moral judgments of others? In this episode, we explore how knowing about someone's, or something's, musicality shifts our moral decision-making. This episode's research study includes four related experiments involving musical monkeys, anti-musical humans, dogs, babies, and robots. Then, we explore what the converging results suggest about music’s impact to shift social attitudes and advocacy efforts related to groups that are often dehumanized, like the homeless community or incarcerated individuals.

Support the show by checking out https://ko-fi.com/breamurakami1. Thank you!

References

• Agrawal, T., Rottman, J., & Schachner, A. (2023). How musicality changes moral consideration: People judge musical entities as more wrong to harm. Psychology of Music, 51(1), 316-336. https://doi.org/10.1177/03057356221096507
• Robison, M., Aderhalden, F.P., & Joiner, T.E. (2024). Dehumanization and the association with nonsuicidal self-injury and suicidal ideation in an incarcerated population. Crisis, 45(4), 287-293. https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000952
• Schroeder, J., & Epley, N. (2020). Demeaning: Dehumanizing others by minimizing the importance of their psychological needs. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 119(4), 765-791. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000199

Resources

• WALL-E movie clip
• Train to Busan ending movie clip (turn on English subtitles)
• M3GAN Sings movie clip
• 60 Minutes Clip: Mr. Lopez Meets Mr. Ayers
• Inmates Discuss Impact of Music Therapy
• Music Therapy for Inmates at Worcester County Jail

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What if you didn’t have to be a scientist, or a musician, to use music in your everyday life? Hi there, I’m Brea, a board-certified music therapist and this is Instru(mental) – a podcast that explores the science of music and how it shapes your brain, your body, and your life. This podcast isn’t just about what music sounds like, it’s about what music does to you.

In each episode, I break down fascinating research about how music affects us and I share real-life takeaways you can actually use to feel better, think clearer, or just survive your Monday. Whether we’re learning about how your personality influences the music you enjoy, debunking the Mozart Effect, breaking down how music releases dopamine, or diving into how music shapes psychedelic experiences, there’s always something new I’m curious about – and I can’t wait to explore it with you.

So, follow the show on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts and start tuning into the science behind the music that moves you. Our website is instrumentalpodcast.com

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