Music and Memory: How Sound Helps Us Remember

Music and Memory: How Sound Helps Us Remember

A few notes of an old song and, without any effort, you are somewhere else — a particular summer, a car journey, a person you have not thought about in years. Music has an unusual power to unlock memory, often more vividly than a photograph or a smell. Researchers...
Music for a Mindful Walk: Sound and Movement

Music for a Mindful Walk: Sound and Movement

A walk is one of the simplest things we can do for a clearer head, and music is the companion many of us reach for as we head out the door. Yet a walk can be two quite different experiences depending on what is in our ears: a rhythmic, energising outing set to a...
Music and Creativity: Sparking the Imagination

Music and Creativity: Sparking the Imagination

Creativity can feel like the most unpredictable of mental states — here one moment, gone the next. We tend to see it as something that either strikes or does not, yet the conditions around us have a real influence on how freely ideas flow. Music is one of those...
Music for Working from Home: Staying Focused and Calm

Music for Working from Home: Staying Focused and Calm

Working from home hands you a rare kind of control over your surroundings — including what they sound like. There is no shared office hum to put up with, but there is often a different mix of distractions: a busy street, housemates, the pull of chores in the next...