Brain Quotes by Daniel Levitin

Information overload refers to the notion that we're trying to take in more than the brain can handle.

— Daniel Levitin

If you aren't taking regular breaks every couple of hours, your brain won't benefit from that extra cup of coffee.

— Daniel Levitin

Maybe instead of asking political candidates to submit tax returns, we really should be asking to see their brain scans.

— Daniel Levitin

Our bodies like rhythm and our brains like melody and harmony.

— Daniel Levitin

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

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

The mammalian brain evolved exquisite place memory because that was essential for survival. This is why squirrels have such a good memory…

— Daniel Levitin

Neurons are living cells with a metabolism. And they need glucose in order to function. Glucose is the fuel of the brain,…

— Daniel Levitin

Music can be thought of as a type of perceptual illusion in which our brain imposes structure and order on a sequence…

— Daniel Levitin

I think of the brain as a computational device: It has a bunch of little components that perform calculations on some small…

— Daniel Levitin

Multitasking creates a dopamine-addiction feedback loop, effectively rewarding the brain for losing focus and for constantly searching for external stimulation.

— Daniel Levitin

Similarly, dance is not just a raging sea of unrelated bodily movements; the relationship of those movements to one another is what…

— Daniel Levitin

The human brain long ago evolved a mechanism for rewarding us when we encountered new information: a little shot of dopamine in…

— Daniel Levitin

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

Every status update you read on Facebook, every tweet or text message you get from a friend, is competing for resources in…

— Daniel Levitin

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

Through studies of music and the brain, we've learned to map out specific areas involved in emotion, timing, and perception - and…

— Daniel Levitin

I became interested in structure when I was in graduate school. How is it that the brain perceives structure in a sometimes…

— Daniel Levitin

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

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

The most important, the longest lasting, the strongest emotional, and the most practiced memories are the ones that are embedded the deepest…

— Daniel Levitin

The emerging picture from such studies is that ten thousand hours of practice is required to achieve the level of mastery associated…

— Daniel Levitin

The brain has an attentional mode called the "mind wandering mode" that was only recently identified. This is when thoughts move seamlessly…

— Daniel Levitin

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

Healthy breaks can hit the reset button in your brain, restoring some of the glucose and other metabolic nutrients used up with…

— Daniel Levitin

The most fundamental principle of the organized mind, the one most critical to keeping us from forgetting or losing things, is to…

— Daniel Levitin

Brain extenders are anything that get information out of our heads and into the physical world: calendars, key hooks by the front…

— Daniel Levitin

Singing and dancing have been shown to modulate brain chemistry, specifically levels of dopamine, the 'feel good' neurotransmitter.

— Daniel Levitin

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

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

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

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

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

Ten thousand hours is equivalent to roughly three hours a day, or 20 hours a week, of practice over 10 years... No…

— Daniel Levitin

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

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

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

If you're making a bunch of little decisions - like, do I read this email now or later? Do I file it?…

— Daniel Levitin