For my second resource, I read the novel Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks, a neurologist and professor. The novel is dedicated to explaining the relationship between music and unusual brain disorders. For instance, I learned about musical hallucinations, which is the experience of hearing music when none is being played. The majority of people who have these musical hallucinations are those who are going deaf or have already lost their hearing. I also learned about "earworms"- when a catchy tune or song gets stuck in one's brain. For some people, these earworms will continually play for days or even weeks on end, causing a great disturbance to their daily life. It is unknown why these things may happen, but it is evident that music has a very powerful influence over human beings.
This novel really got me interested in the negative affects of music has on humans, and has lead me to change the direction of my research paper. Instead of researching, "How Music Influences Human Behavior," I will be investigating, "The Positive and Negative Effects Music has on Human Beings". Since I'll be leaving for vacation this week, I did all of my additional research in advance, and I am so excited about what I have learned. Musicophilia pushed me in the right direction for continuing my research paper, and really educated me on the negative effects that music has on the human experience.
I feel like people rarely consider the negative effects that music can have on the human experience. It's because of this that I absolutely love the change to your research topic. Music is extremely influential and I really think your paper will do a great job of portraying that. Also, it's really satisfying to know that there's an actual term for when a song is continuously stuck in your head. I can't wait to see the finished product of your paper.
ReplyDeleteSarah, this sounds amazing! Personally, I have always been interested in both psychology and music, so it's awesome to see that you're creating a research paper on both! I completely agree with Katherine that people don't recognize the negative effects of music. Personally, I have never thought anything of it. I also thought it was really cool how reading this book influenced you to change the direction of your whole paper. Your topic really captures me and makes me want to learn more with you. I'd love to read your paper after it's finished if you wouldn't mind. Great work!
ReplyDelete