Of Sound Mind

How Our Brain Constructs a Meaningful Sonic World

Nina Kraus author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:MIT Press Ltd

Published:27th Sep '22

Should be back in stock very soon

Of Sound Mind cover

How sound leaves a fundamental imprint on who we are.

Making sense of sound is one of the hardest jobs we ask our brains to do. In Of Sound Mind, Nina Kraus examines the partnership of sound and brain, showing for the first time that the processing of sound drives many of the brain's core functions. Our hearing is always on--we can't close our ears the way we close our eyes--and yet we can ignore sounds that are unimportant. We don't just hear; we engage with sounds. Kraus explores what goes on in our brains when we hear a word--or a chord, or a meow, or a screech.

Our hearing brain, Kraus tells us, is vast. It interacts with what we know, with our emotions, with how we think, with our movements, and with our other senses. Auditory neurons make calculations at one-thousandth of a second; hearing is the speediest of our senses. Sound plays an unrecognized role in both healthy and hurting brains. Kraus explores the power of music for healing as well as the destructive power of noise on the nervous system. She traces what happens in the brain when we speak another language, have a language disorder, experience rhythm, listen to birdsong, or suffer a concussion. Kraus shows how our engagement with sound leaves a fundamental imprint on who we are. The sounds of our lives shape our brains, for better and for worse, and help us build the sonic world we live in.

“This is a text full of discoveries, even for those who are deeply involved in listening or composing music . . . Kraus is a neuroscientist and writes with clear prose which is supported by simple illustrations and a solid scientific divulging tone that makes us understand our ‘sound mind’, how it shapes us while irresistibly encouraging us to devote more time and attention to hearing, and other frequently missed sound experiences.”
—Neural

ISBN: 9780262545075

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

368 pages