Why humans invented music?

Why did humans invent music?
httpi136photobucketcomalbumsq169leinnea89Women-Sensual-49284-1jpgt1227381450-девÑ-Ñ-ка-photoshop-мÑ-зÑ-ка-woman-sexy-bw-girls-bw-side-boob-Boobies-SEXY-TUMMY-Perfect-body-girl-music-The-Epitome-of-the-Woman_largeAcademic minds are always trying to come up with a theory. Charles Darwin believed music was created as a sexual come-on. Other theorists believe music was an attempt at social glue, a way to bring early humans together into a close-knit community. Chris Loersch, a senior research associate in psychology and neuroscience at the University of Colorado, likes that idea, and he’s done research to try and prove it. He and Nathan Arbuckle, from the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, designed a series of studies to bolster it.

«This hypothesis centres on music’s unique ability to influence the mood and behaviour of many people at once,» they write, «helping to mould individual beings into a coordinated group.» They cite the power of military music, music played at sports games, and «ritualized drumming» as examples.

blurred-lines-explicit-unrated-video-robin-thickeIn a series of seven studies, the two looked at the «emotional reactions» to music of 879 individuals from U.S. universities and from abroad. They also asked the respondents how much they identify with an in-group. The subjects who said they were most affected by the music they heard had a «higher need to belong.» Loersch, who was interviewed about the research, was quick to admit that this is not definitive proof but does help bolster the theory that «music evolved in service of group living.»

Does your theory explain why we pay lots of money to congregate with other fans at a concert?
wallpaper-1003006I saw a bunch of Phish shows at one point. There’s a certain sense of community there, a lot of rules for how that community interacts with each other. People are bonding on a large scale, treating everybody that’s camping around them as family members. I think that’s what concerts are about, really becoming a group with those people around you. We put a YouTube link to a concert in the paper, where somebody on stage starts waving hands to the right and left and all these people with huge intense smiles engage in exact same behaviour. You can see on their faces that music is having the most intense positive effect. Forty thousand people are completely bound up in being a group member.

But you’re not exactly best friends with all those people?
Even though you don’t know them at all, part of our theory is that the music is there to bind you and control you, not as an individual but as a member of a group. As humans our primary motivation in life is to be a good group member. People start to feel great when they lose their individual identity and become part of this larger whole.

Sometimes people boo at concerts.
I think we boo other social behaviour all the time, not explicitly. When people don’t hold up their end of a social contract, that’s what gets you ostracised from a group.

So if a musician shows up late or puts on a bad show, they’re fair game for booing?
I don’t think musicians are immune from that ostracism just because they happen to be in control.

If music is all about connecting us to a group, why do people listen in solitude as well?
relax girl 1280x800I think even when you listen by yourself, what makes that feel good is that you are kind of being tricked—much like when you watch TV—into thinking you’re interacting with people, tricked into thinking you’re part of a group. Our core motivation is to feel like we belong. Anything that tricks you into feeling that way is going to feel rewarding, you’re going to pursue that like a drug.

How do you regard the theory that music was invented as a sexual lure?
What we would argue is you play music and that gives you power to control a large group of people and power is attractive to the opposite sex.

Who’s your favourite musician?
My favourite artist is Stevie Wonder: I think he’s incredibly effective at communicating emotions. He makes you feel what he feels. And he clearly feels a lot.

Then what?
HD-Cool-Music-Girl-WallpaperHumans did not invent music. It is a flawed assumption that we invented music. We can say that humans are musical for the most part but we didn’t invent music just as we didn’t invent electricity. We discovered it. Yes we were probably singing and banging on rocks long before we knew this but we didn’t invent music like somebody invented the wheel or an iPhone we discovered it in nature. It was already there. Nevertheless, music might provide a way to be, taking some stress out of a confusing life by giving something to rest on. The rhythm, the melody, and the harmony all provide a way of being that allows someone to do a bit less work for the time being if they agree with the way that is being presented. Just imagine life without it, it would be a world I wouldn’t want to live in.

Short film: Dia de los muertos

muertosThis beautifully animated, and heart felt, short film about a little girl who visits the land of the dead, where she learns the true meaning of the Mexican holiday: Dia de los Muertos is a mesmerising representation of a great CGI work. In fact, it is so good it won the Student Academy Award Gold Medal in 2013. It was produced by Ashley Graham, Kate Reynolds, and Lindsey St. Pierre at Ringling College of Art and Design as their senior thesis. I hope this video can make you feel the greatness of this amazing Mexican tradition and let your heart be warmed with joy and enthusiasm, just like it did with ours.

Link.

I forgot my phone

phoneThis is a self-reflective short film that shows how daily activities have become technologically over matched and individuals have forgotten about face-to-face interaction. Everything is now digitalised and has to be shared on social networks, to receive an apparent likeability from people that most of the times we are not in touch with. What would happen if you would forget your mobile phone and analyse the people you live with in order to see how influencing this technology has become in our lives? We need a change now, remember that technology was invented to help us make things easy. I said «help us», not «completely make things for us». We are humans and we were made for socialise with others… in person preferably.

Link.

Racing drivers bringing their wives for a ride

video_cap_ricardo_450opProfessional racing driving is a very risky sport where pilots expose their lives to its dangers. It requires the driver’s most sharp reflexes and extremely accuracy in braking, cornering, overtaking and accelerating. Therefore, the experiences a racing driver lives nearly touch the limits of human capabilities and is not surprising how impressive those manoeuvres can be for non-professional drivers. In this set of 4 videos, we show how experienced drivers ask their wives to come along for a lap in a racing track on board of a racing car. The results are hilarious and the adrenaline and excitement are at its maximum.

1. An internet classic, Ricardo Patrese bring his wife Suzie to co-pilot on a Honda Civic Type-R:

2. Joao Barbosa takes wife for the 1st time in a ride around Daytona International Speedway in a 2 seater Grand Am Daytona Prototype:

3. A beautiful lady’s reaction to a 1300bhp Corvette C6 Z06 (I love her scared smile)

Link1. Link2. Link3.

Top 15: Best Animation Films

animationThis ranking provides the best 15 films based on its animated character. It is worth to mention that only Disney, Pixar and DreamWorks films were cited and the rank was based on the votes of the public on IMdB and the quality of the story. There are more Japanese and other-nationality films that are not listed here, like: Dragon Ball Z (which has the highest score of an animated film [9.9/10] and was released already in March 2013 in Japan), Spirited Away, Grave of the Fireflies, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbour Totoro, among others. So, here it goes, I have to say that I agree with the list and I must recognise two things, the first one is that the public does not make mistakes in terms of choosing the best films and the second is the impressive progress in terms of quality and visual effects.

15. The Iron Giant (1999) – 8.9/10
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14. Shrek (2001) – 8.9/10
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13. Aladdin (1992) – 8.9/10
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12. Toy Story 2 (1999) – 9.0/10
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11. The Incredibles (2004) – 9.0/10
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10. Beauty and the Beast (1991) – 9.0/10
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9. Ratatouille (2007) – 9.0/10
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8. Monsters Inc. (2001) – 9.0/10
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7. Finding Nemo (2003) – 9.1/10
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6. Hot to Train Your Dragon (2010) – 9.2/10
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5. Toy Story (1995) – 9.3/10
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4. Up (2009) – 9.3/10
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3.  The Lion King (1994) – 9.4/10
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2. Toy Story 3 (2010) – 9.5/10
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1. WALL-E (2008) – 9.6/10
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Tales of a PhD (2)

phdWelcome to this second delivery of Tales of a PhD. In part 1 we wrote some passages of what a PhD researcher has to entail during the amazing process of becoming a doctor. We know is not an easy process and we thoroughly respect all those guys who put their sweat and soul into the beautiful science profession. We really hope you enjoy this new post and if you think you have been through any of these episodes, share it with your colleagues:

1. What you think putting in practise your methods will be and how it actually is:aVOe11d_460sa

2. When someone cites your paper for the first time:
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3. When you have to submit your thesis to the school evaluating panel:
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4. When you read your First Year Progression Report:
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5. When you have a group meeting at your supervisor’s office:
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6. When you don’t know how to respond to a question from your panel in your oral examination:
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7. Your supervisor’s reaction when you justify your methods:
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8. When your supervisor gets a grant accepted:
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9. When your article gets accepted for publishing:
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10. When you say to your supervisor you did the experiments just as he said:
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11. When you find a typo on your thesis 10min after been submitted:
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12. When you submit your paper to a journal and gets rejected:
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13. When you see a PI and a postdoc fighting between each other in a group meeting:
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14. When your supervisor gives more comments on your report:
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15. When you see the results from all your lab work:
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16: When a colleague suggest another group meeting next week:
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17. A summary of your PhD:
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18. When your supervisor leaves you alone with the lab equipment:
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19. When your supervisors suggests you to rewrite an entire chapter:
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20. You in a group meeting just before lunch:
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21. Your supervisor pointing at what is wrong in your report:
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22. When you say a wrong word to your panel in your thesis defence:
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23. When you win a conference poster competition (although this has never happened to you):
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24. The reaction from your friends when you explain your PhD subject:
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25. Your supervisor’s reaction when you explain how you’ve analysed your data:
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