In this groundbreaking union of art and science, soprano, musicologist, and physician Patricia Caicedo explores the connection between music-its performance, how we listen to it, why we enjoy it-and health.

Drawing on the latest research and musical examples, Caicedo reveals:

– How the brain works when you listen to and make music.

– The relationship between rhythm, movement, and health.

– The relationship between pleasure, emotion, and music.

– How music has been a crucial element of the human experience since the beginning of the species and how it is fundamental for maintaining communities.

– The importance of music in pain and death.

– How music increases your creativity and produces happiness and a sense of purpose in life.

We are what we listen to: the impact of music on individual health will attract listeners of Oliver Sacks and David Byrne, as it is an unprecedented, transdisciplinary investigation that contextualizes the music and its effects on historical, scientific, and social levels. It is an essential book for music lovers and everybody seeking to improve their mental and physical health.