Maybe instead of asking political candidates to submit tax returns, we really should be asking to see their brain scans. — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
If you aren't taking regular breaks every couple of hours, your brain won't benefit from that extra cup of coffee. — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
Information overload refers to the notion that we're trying to take in more than the brain can handle. — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
Brain extenders are anything that get information out of our heads and into the physical world: calendars, key hooks by the front… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
The most fundamental principle of the organized mind, the one most critical to keeping us from forgetting or losing things, is to… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
I'm a simple country neuroscientist, not an expert on democracy, but I do know something about how the brain works and how… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
That daydreaming mode turns out to be restorative. It's like hitting the reset button in your brain. And you don't get in… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
What it turns out is that we think we're multitasking, but we're not. The brain is sequential tasking: we flit from one… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
Singing and dancing have been shown to modulate brain chemistry, specifically levels of dopamine, the 'feel good' neurotransmitter. — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
Multitasking creates a dopamine-addiction feedback loop, effectively rewarding the brain for losing focus and for constantly searching for external stimulation. — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
I think of the brain as a computational device: It has a bunch of little components that perform calculations on some small… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
Ten thousand hours is equivalent to roughly three hours a day, or 20 hours a week, of practice over 10 years... No… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
As soon as you hear a proposition, the creative brain in humans assumes for the moment that it's true, and starts trying… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
Although I don't know Paul McCartney, a mutual friend told me that Paul was reading my book, This Is Your Brain on… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
The conscious mind can only pay attention to about four things at once. If you've got these nagging voices in your head… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
Because you've been exposed to Western tonal music, you know after a certain chord sequence what the next possibilities are. Your brain… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
If you're making a bunch of little decisions - like, do I read this email now or later? Do I file it?… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
We've learned that musical ability is actually not one ability but a set of abilities, a dozen or more. Through brain damage,… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
There's an ancient connection between movement and music. Most languages don't make a distinction between the words 'music' and 'dance.' And we… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
The most important, the longest lasting, the strongest emotional, and the most practiced memories are the ones that are embedded the deepest… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
The emerging picture from such studies is that ten thousand hours of practice is required to achieve the level of mastery associated… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
Decision-making is difficult because, by its nature, it involves uncertainty. If there was no uncertainty, decisions would be easy! The uncertainty exists… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
The brain has an attentional mode called the "mind wandering mode" that was only recently identified. This is when thoughts move seamlessly… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
Neurons are living cells with a metabolism. And they need glucose in order to function. Glucose is the fuel of the brain,… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
Music can be thought of as a type of perceptual illusion in which our brain imposes structure and order on a sequence… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
I think we've debunked the myth of talent. It doesn't appear that there's anything like a music gene or center in the… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
Our brains are very, very good at self-delusion. What happens is, it releases the stress hormone cortisol in the brain, which leads… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
The mammalian brain evolved exquisite place memory because that was essential for survival. This is why squirrels have such a good memory… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
Healthy breaks can hit the reset button in your brain, restoring some of the glucose and other metabolic nutrients used up with… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
Similarly, dance is not just a raging sea of unrelated bodily movements; the relationship of those movements to one another is what… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
If you're studying from a book and trying to listen in on a conversation at the same time, those are two separate… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
Through studies of music and the brain, we've learned to map out specific areas involved in emotion, timing, and perception - and… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
Every status update you read on Facebook, every tweet or text message you get from a friend, is competing for resources in… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
The left brain is responsible for making order out of chaos, for making sense of things in the world that don't always… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
The human brain long ago evolved a mechanism for rewarding us when we encountered new information: a little shot of dopamine in… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
The state-of-the-art techniques really allowed us to make maps of how Sting's brain organizes music. That's important because at the heart of… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
I became interested in structure when I was in graduate school. How is it that the brain perceives structure in a sometimes… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share Image
What music is better able to do than language is to represent the complexity of human emotional states. — Daniel Levitin Copy Share
Procrastination comes in two types. Some of us procrastinate in order to pursue restful activities - spending time in bed, watching TV - while… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share
In a country that was still racially segregated and prejudiced, music was among the first domains in which African-Americans thrived alongside whites. — Daniel Levitin Copy Share
Because our ancestors lived in social groups that changed slowly, because they encountered the same people throughout their lives, they could keep almost every… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share
Because you've been exposed to Western tonal music, you know after a certain chord sequence what the next possibilities are. Your brain has compiled… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share
People who organize their time in a way that allows them to focus are not only going to get more done, but they'll be… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share
I have never seen a proton or electron spinning around it. I have never actually seen a chromosome. I trust that they exist because… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share
If you're studying from a book and trying to listen in on a conversation at the same time, those are two separate projects, each… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share
President Trump, when challenged on facts, says that many people feel the way he does. But feelings should not take the place of reason… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share
Our species uses music and dance to express various feelings: love, joy, comfort, ceremony, knowledge, and friendship. And each one is distinct and widely… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share
The first forms of writing emerged not for art, literature, or love, not for spiritual or liturgical purposes, but for business--all literature could be… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share
When you're at work, be fully at work. And let your leisure time be what it's meant to be - restorative and fun. — Daniel Levitin Copy Share
The obvious rule of efficiency is you don't want to spend more time organizing than it's worth. — Daniel Levitin Copy Share
When it comes to snowing people, one effective technique is to get a whole bunch of verifiable facts right and then add one or… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share
The human brain long ago evolved a mechanism for rewarding us when we encountered new information: a little shot of dopamine in the brain… — Daniel Levitin Copy Share
