The Loh Down On Science


Is there a connection between musical taste and head shape?

by The Loh Down On Science

Does the shape of your noggin shape your taste in music?

This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.

They say there's no accounting for taste.  But maybe there is some accounting for it.

Take your skull—it has a resonant frequency.  Think of it as the note that sounds when you thump the side of your head.  Go ahead.  Try it.  Just not if you're driving.

Researchers from William Paterson University wondered if resonant frequency affects musical taste.  So they pressed a microphone to sixteen volunteers' heads.  They then had the subjects tap themselves on the head to record their resonant frequency.

Next, the volunteers listened to original melodies in the twelve major keys and said, Hey, I like that!  Or, No, I don't!

The team found that head shape did influence the volume a person heard, and their melodic preferences.  But the connection was subtle, which means it merit more studies.

At the very least, for you rock and rollers, it does give new shape to the term head-banging.



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