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Hey, Wowzer fams.
Mindy and Guy Raz here.
And before we start the show, did you hear that we are on YouTube?
That's right, Mindy.
Wowzer fams.
You can find full episodes of Wow in the World and more of your favorite Tinkercast podcasts on our YouTube channel, WowTube.
Plus, on WowTube, you can also watch me explode some watermelons and test out watermelons.
Bonker Ball's experiments in the laboratory of bad ideas.
Or you can dance along with Dennis for music videos featuring music from WeWow on the weekend.
There is so much in store made just for you on WowTube.
Visit Tinkercast.com slash YouTube to watch now.
That's Tinkercast.com slash YouTube.
Thank you.
You almost poked my face out.
Well, quit sticking your face in my dancing.
Quit fighting, you two.
Don't make me turn this ice cream truck around.
Maybe don't dance so hard, Mr. Fingerling.
Oh, I can't help it.
Whenever I hear that song, my body just wants to move, you know?
And when I hear that song, it makes me cry a little bit because I wish I had a penguin to slip on.
Huh?
Quit getting your leaky fingers. face juice all over me, boy.
Oh, sorry.
So, Mindy, what is this thing we're going to again?
Oh, yeah.
So, it's this really cool workshop called Become the Music.
Huh.
And it's taught by this really cool instructor who's been working on it ever since.
She read this really cool new study in the scientific journal Nature Reviews Neuroscience.
Also, did I mention how cool the instructor is?
Uh, yeah.
You did.
Good, because she's really cool.
Oh, yeah.
She sounds so cool.
I know.
And the study is all about how we humans physically become the music we listen to.
Become the music we listen to?
How could that be possible?
I don't know.
Here, take a look at this brochure on the workshop.
Let's see here.
Become the music...
Mindy, what is this?
It's science.
Keep reading.
Okay.
We will explore how music on the outside connects with what's happening on our insides.
It's time to become the music, and it's gonna be bunker balls.
Oh, wow.
Yeah, I think I'm getting a clue as to who this super cool instructor is.
Hmm, I wonder who it could be.
Are we going to dance class?
No, stop.
Oh, looks like we're here.
Good day.
Mindy, we're right back home at the laboratory of bad ideas.
Yeah, like I said, we're here.
Did you just drive us in a circle?
Is that why I'm dizzy?
Sorry, no time for questions.
We got to get inside.
We don't want to be late for this really cool instructor who's waiting.
Okay, come on.
Everyone out.
Okay, let me just put the code in for the laboratory of bad ideas.
Oh, look, there's a new sign on the door.
Become the music.
There we go.
Why is it so dark in here?
I can't see nothing.
Who am I?
Like my eyeballs.
I think the lights are just off.
Oh, it sure is mysterious with no lights.
I don't like it.
Hello?
Anyone home?
We're here for the Become the Music workshop.
And I am here against my will.
Hello?
Mindy, what's going on here?
Where are the lights?
Mindy?
Mindy?
Mindy?
What in the... Is that a stage?
Oh, a baby grand piano.
Welcome to Become the Music.
Oh, Mandy.
A scientific sensory spectacular through song.
Yes, begin.
I do not want to be here.
T-Force, quiet.
Give it up for your super cool It's Mindy.
Yep.
I see her, Dennis.
We love you, Mindy.
Hello, everyone.
And thank you all for coming out tonight.
Mindy, it's 10 a.m.
Now, here at Become the Music, we're going to explore the ways in which we not only enjoy music, but how our bodies synchronize with the music that we hear.
Synchronize?
You mean like a dancing?
Yes, but even dancing, deeper than dancing, because inside our bodies, inside our brains, our biological beats and rhythms synchronize with the music that we hear.
Really?
Really! music can sync with our actual brain waves?
That's right.
So if music can affect our brain activity, is that how music can change the way we feel?
Well, that's a great question, young man.
Young man?
Can I get your name?
Mindy, you know my name.
I'm your best friend, Guy Raz.
Yeah, and we want to know how body and brain beats, matching with music beats, can change the way we feel.
Well, why don't I answer your question?
With a song.
A song?
Wow.
Yes, boy.
Have you ever wondered why we feel music so deeply?
Yeah.
When we hear a song, it can change our mood so completely.
Well, I do not know what you're talking about.
Oh.
I think I do, Mindy.
Oh, yeah?
Yeah.
One time I was at my local library reading a study I just found about aeroponic gardening systems.
I got so worked up I couldn't sit down.
So what'd you do?
I turned on my guy phone and played my favorite late 17th century Baroque bangers playlist.
Right.
It calmed me down.
Now this is fancy, made me feel steady.
Oh wow, it's counterpoint and pulse gave me focus to finish reading the study.
Wow, music can change the way we feel.
It can change the way that.
What is it, Dennis?
Well, the other night I was watching a seven-hour America's Funniest Home Makeovers marathon.
What?
When I saw a commercial that really changed me.
Oh, yeah?
Yeah!
What happened?
Well, I'll tell you.
It was shot in black and white and had a sorry face.
That was filled with keyboards And a super-duper sad, sad orchestra And even had a mini harp, A mini harp, Mindy.
My open heart burst into a thousand pieces!
What was the commercial for, Dennis?
Um, dog food.
That's weird.
Music can change the way can change the way that we feel.
Oh, I think I get it now.
No, you don't.
Yes, I do.
Something like that just happened to me.
I was walking through the farmer's market looking for fresh rutabagas when I heard a most lovely sound coming from a group of musicians playing on a stage just past the tomato stand.
I felt those notes, them lightning fast notes, Coming off of those strange instruments.
I felt them in my nose.
I felt them in my toes.
I even felt them in every knuckle.
I couldn't help but jump up and start a dance to those sweet, sweet sounds.
Do you ever wonder why the music we hear Well, music don't never move me.
Oh, come on, Grandma G-Force.
I'm sure music has made you feel something before.
No.
Well, what about that electronified guitar you're always carrying around?
You mean my 1978 limited edition graffiti yellow electric guitar with custom humbucker pickups?
What about it?
I seen you strum that thing and get it real worked up.
Uh, here.
Why don't you strum a few chords for us and see what happens?
Fine.
Oh!
Really?
How do you feel?
I feel awe and curiosity.
Me too.
Not me.
That song was a little repetitive, if you ask me.
Well, I'm feeling curious as well.
Ah!
I want to know more.
Okay.
Well, thanks to a group of scientists at McGill University in Montreal Canada, there is now a scientific theory for these feelings you were all experiencing during that song.
There is?
There is.
It's something called neural resonance theory.
That is too many words I never not heard.
Yeah, say those words again, Mandy.
Neural resonance theory, or resonance.
NRT for short.
Huh?
I got this, Mindy.
Okay, so neural just means anything having to do with your brain or nerves.
Yeah, like the super fast electrical wires that send messages all over our bodies.
Yeah, messages.
And resonance means when two things line up or vibrate together.
Yeah, like when Dennis and Reggie are both swinging on swings and if they start pumping at just the right time, they can swing higher and higher together.
Oh.
That is a very good analogy.
And a theory is an idea that scientists have tested over and over again to help explain how something in the world works.
So altogether.
Neural resonance theory is a term used to describe what happens when the natural rhythms of our brains sync or line up with the rhythms in music.
I do not know what that is.
The rhythms in music.
You know, like the beats and melodies and harmonies.
Yeah, like this.
We're singing and clapping our hands and stomping our feet.
All together we're singing.
No!
Okay.
Hold on just a minute, Mandy.
Are you saying that no one's ever studied music and its effects on the brain before?
Oh, no, there have been studies.
You see, before NRT, scientists believed that people enjoy music because our brains enjoy guessing what comes next in a musical pattern.
Oh, like if a song goes boom, boom, clap, boom, boom, clap, our brains think, oh.
I know the next sound.
Right.
And then it happens, and it feels fun.
Interesting.
Oh, I get it.
It's like when a song walks into our brain.
Our brain says, oh, hello, song.
May I have this dance?
And then the song is like, sure, only if you could keep up.
And then they dance and dance, and it looks good.
And everyone else in the brain is like, wow, you are so in sync with each other.
You two should go on the Dance Pants Evolution Tour.
What?
Yeah, basically.
Thank you.
But, Mandy, what happens in my brain after that?
Yeah, we want to know what's happening during the brain dance.
That's a great question.
I know it is, Garage.
Well, I could tell you.
Yes!
Or I can sing it with you.
Not again.
Now hold on tight everyone, because we're about to take our bodies on an emotional rollercoaster ride through song.
Music can have melody And music can have harmony Harmony Music has a rhythm Thanks, Reg.
Tempo, dynamics, the list goes on.
And when we hear music, our brains sync up to it and we ride the music roller coaster.
Music roller coaster, eh?
Exact Doritos.
Uh, Mindy, are those sound effects?
I'm scared.
Just listen.
Oh, goody.
Tempo is music speed. when the tempo's very slow.
My brain lines up with the beat and makes me want to go to sleep.
Mindy, I need a nap.
It sounds like we're going a little faster, Mindy.
What's happening?
Ah!
I'll tell you what's happening.
I lift my temples fast, like really, really fast.
When I'm lifting or wrestling, I need my gym to slap, slap, slap, slap, slap, slap, slap.
Stop it.
Reforce.
Whatever.
Okay, well, you took us on the tempo loop-de-doop-de part of the music rollercoaster.
But what about how some notes feel sad and some notes feel happy?
I think I can handle this one, Mindy.
Take it away, Guy Razzi.
I love the major keys and happy harmonies.
They make me smile when I sing to my flowers.
Out of my way, Guy!
But when minor chords begin, they wipe away that grin.
Like the time I ate an orange that was too sour.
What?
It was just too tart, guy.
Okay.
There, there now, filler.
Rolling, rolling are left in this song.
Mandy, my teeth are getting bored, don't worry, this ride will be done soon.
But i did want to talk about dynamics before we finish.
What in the world wide web is a dynamic?
It's basically just the volume of the song, how loud or how soft it is.
Dynamics can have a pretty big effect on how our bodies feel when we hear music really Like how, when music's nice and quiet, it calms my knuckles down and lowers my blood pressures.
Your dynamics are too loud, Pigeon.
Now quit your hollering.
It's making me all jumpy and jittery.
Rolling, rolling up and down on the music roller coaster.
Our brains sing.
That was incredible.
I think I'm going to barf.
Oh, you'll be fine.
Did you all notice how your brains were basically dancing with the song just now?
I noticed that it put me on an emotional runaway roller coaster.
Yeah, me too.
Exactly.
When this neural resonance, or the natural rhythm of our brains, lines up with the rhythm of a song, it can do wild things inside our bodies.
Like make us feel different emotions.
Happy, sad, excited.
Well, when my brain started dancing with the song, my body couldn't help but join the party.
I was wiggling all over the place.
Yes, and that's because this lining up of the rhythms also impacts the way we move when we hear music.
So what this study is suggesting here Mindy, is that when our bodies start to react or move with music, it's because our brains have synced or lined up with it.
And maybe that's why we can't help but dance or cry or feel happy when our brain beats are dancing with the music we hear.
Yes, you've got it.
Dennis?
Mandy.
Yes, Grandma G-Force?
I have a question.
Sure, let's hear it.
Why should I care about none of this?
Well, this new discovery can have a big impact on people around the world.
First off, it could maybe be used for coming up with tools to help people heal their brains and bodies when they're sick or feeling down.
And I'm guessing they could also use this discovery to help people learn to keep a beat and sing on pitch when they're trying to learn music.
For sure.
But most importantly, this discovery is helping to explain why music makes people dance and and why it has the power to connect people from different cultures around the world, even when they don't speak the same language.
Not to mention, this probably gives scientists the secret scoop on how to scientifically design music.
Like I don't know, like if they wanted to make the scientifically most danceable song in the whole wide world.
Ooh, which reminds me I've been wanting to dust off an old friend, and I think that right now might be the perfect time.
Old friend?
I do not like old people.
I only like the new ones.
Oh!
What is it, Mindy?
Anyone remember the Singama thing?
No.
Wait.
Is that the old machine you invented years ago that turns speech into song?
I thought it exploded or something.
What?
No.
It's still good.
Yikes.
What do you say we power this puppy up and see if it's still got its magic?
Well, don't know if that's necessary, Mindy.
I mean, I think we just... Too late!
Whoa!
Yep, still works.
Now what do you say?
We use this sing-em-a-thing and what we've learned from the NRT study to create a song.
Uh, okay.
What do we do first?
Let's start with a kick drum.
And set the BPM to 125.
Cool.
Now snare.
Neat.
A simple 4-4 beat.
Yeah.
Oh, a synth riff.
And a serious minor key.
Guitar.
Oh, nice.
Sick.
Syncopation.
Oh, yeah.
So don't.
And I made the best dance song, so just dance along.
Whoa whoa, whoa.
Now is the time to Something that songs to.
The suspense might kind of bore us, but waiting for the chorus makes it more satisfying.
Ooh, drum break.
Now stop.
Two, three, four.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Science and I made the best dance song, so just dance along.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Now is the time to sing the best part.
We sure did.
Class dismissed.
Wow in the World will be right back.
Grown-ups, this message is for you.
Hey, grown-ups.
It's Mindy and Guy Raz here from Wow in the World.
Mindy and I have some brand new Wow in the World toys out in the world just in time for the holidays.
Made for the kids who love science? for the ones who don't yet.
From our 100 experiments, that wow kit to the telescope and astronomy kit.
Our wow in the world toys help your wowzer learn about their world through play.
Plus, you can hear exclusive audio content from me and Guy Raz to help your wowzer discover even more wows.
Grownups.
Give the gift of wow and wonder this holiday season with our latest wow in the world toys designed with your curiosity.
Wowzer in mind.
You can shop our Wow in the World toys at Tinkercast.com slash toys.
That's Tinkercast.com slash toys.
That's it.
Back to the show.
Wow in the World.
Hi.
Thanks for calling Wow in the World.
After the beep, get ready to record.
Indian guy walk.
My name is Han, and I live in Toluca Lake, California.
My round of world is that the big boy locomotive, or train, weighs over one million pounds.
Isn't that bonkable?
Say hi to Reggie Rama, G-Force Static Man, and Dennis men in california.
My wow in the world is that a silverback gorilla can lift almost 2 000 pounds.
Say hi to dennis hi and thomas fingering for me sup bye, hi.
My name is rogan.
I live in rose.
My wow in the world is that sometimes red foxes move into arctic box dens when they leave their dens.
Say hi to grandma g-force and dennis howdy.
My name is Audrey.
I live in Greeley, Colorado.
And my wow in the world is that lightning can be hotter than the surface of the sun.
Say hi to sleigh cats and Grandma Dee Force. from Portland, Oregon.
A wow in my world is that a narwhal's horn is actually just an overgrown tooth and it's really rare, but it can actually have two overgrown teeth.
My name is Linnea, and I'm from Bellingham, Washington.
My wow in the world is that emperor penguins can hold their breath for 20 minutes.
Please say hi to Reggie.
Dennis.
Hi there.
And, oh, and Dennis.
Yes?
Um, everyone knows that you're a static man.
And Bucky, I really like you.
You're a good horse.
Bye.
My name's Amal, and I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
My wow in the world is axolotls can swim up to 10 miles an hour.
I can prove it because of the episode.
And say hi to all the axolotls and cats.
Bye.
I'm Nadia.
And I'm Tessa.
We are both 10.
And we both live in Seattle.
Our wow in the world is that orcas live in a matriarchal society.
And that orcas have a regional accent.
Say hi to Dennis.
End of messages, grown-ups.
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Hey, Wowzers.
Before we roll the credits, I just want to give a big shout out to Tinkercast's own Tyler Thull.
Tyler wrote and produced all of the songs that you heard on this very special musical episode of Wow in the World.
And a special thanks to Ryan Young for spicing things up with a little bit of fiddle.
Thanks for listening to this episode of Wow in the World.
If you're a kid with a big wow to share with us, call our wow hotline at 1-888-7WOW-WOW for a chance to be featured at the end of the show or an upcoming episode of Two.
What's in a Wow?
And while you're at it, why don't you head over to Apple Podcasts and tell us what wows you about our show by leaving a review?
You just might hear your reviewsy read by Dennis on WeWow on the weekend.
Oh, and don't forget to visit us at Tinkercastcom and become a member of the World Organization of Wowzers.
With that, you'll get year-round mailings, weekly activities, birthday cards, and more.
On Tinkercastcom.
You can also shop our Wow Shop, get tickets for upcoming live events, find our books and learn about all the other amazing podcasts from Tinkercast.
Once again, that's Tinkercast.com.
Wow in the World is written by Mindy Thomas and Tom Van Kelken, with contributions from me.
We'll be right back.
Powers, the wow at Tinkercast.
Our theme song was composed and performed by three-time Grammy nominees, The Pop-Ups.
Find them at thepopups.com.
Special thanks to our team, including Kit Ballinger, Rebecca Caban, Dr Natasha Crandall, Kenny Curtis, Kristen Yang, Thuy Mac, Erica Medina, Henry Moskal, Jodi Nussbaum, Ali Paksima, Linda Rothenberg, Steph Sosa, Anna Zagorski and all of the other tinkerers at Tinkercast HQ.
Grownups, you can follow Wow in the World on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at Wow in the World.
And our email address is hello.
Thanks for listening.
Find episodes of Wow in the World every Monday, Two What's in a Wow every Friday, and We Wow on the Weekends with Dennis every Saturday and Sunday, right here in the Wow in the World podcast feed.
Until then, keep on wowing!
Wow in the World was made by Tinkercast.
And sent to you by Wondery.
