Daniel Levitin

Professor of psychology and behavioral neuroscience at McGill University and author of “The Organized Mind.”

Guest

Dr. Daniel Levitin earned his B.A. in Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Science at Stanford University, and went on to earn his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Oregon, researching complex auditory patterns and pattern processing in expert and non-expert populations.

He completed post-doctoral training at Stanford University Medical School (in Neuroimaging) and at UC Berkeley (in Cognitive Psychology). He has consulted on audio sound source separation for the U.S. Navy, and on audio quality for several rock bands and record labels (including the Grateful Dead and Steely Dan), and served as one of the “Golden Ears” expert listeners in the original Dolby AC3 compression tests. He worked for two years at the Silicon Valley think tank Interval Research Corporation.

He taught at Stanford University in the Department of Computer Science, the Program in Human-Computer Interaction, and the Departments of Psychology, Anthropology, Computer Music, and History of Science. Currently, he is a James McGill Professor of Psychology, Behavioural Neuroscience, and Music at McGill University (Montreal, Quebec), and Dean of Arts and Humanities at the Minerva Schools at KGI.

He is the author of the #1 best-seller This Is Your Brain On Music (Dutton/Penguin, 2006), which was published in nineteen languages and spent more than one year on the New York Times Bestseller list. His second book, The World in Six Songs (Dutton/Penguin, 2008) hit the bestseller lists in its first week of release. His newest book is the #1 best-seller The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload (Dutton/Penguin 2014).

Daniel Levitin on KCRW

Many of us worry that the older we get, the more cognitive decline we’ll experience.

Brain health: Why you should train your mind like an athlete’s body

Many of us worry that the older we get, the more cognitive decline we’ll experience.

from Life Examined

President Obama once said, “I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing, because I have too many other decisions to make.”

The Organized Mind

President Obama once said, “I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing, because I have too many other decisions to make.”

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

More from KCRW

I’m dating other women for the first time, help! This week, content creator AmbersCloset and Myisha talk exes and dating as a newly out lesbian.

from How’s Your Sex Life?

Is porn going to ruin my relationship? This week music journalist Tomás Mier and Myisha take on porn habits and queer dating expectations.

from How’s Your Sex Life?

This week clinical psychologist and author Dacher Keltner delves into the science and mysteries surrounding awe and shares that awe is not just found in nature or music but most often…

from Life Examined

We are not helpless, and the situation is not hopeless. We can’t wipe out mental illness, but we can enact reasonable gun control to protect the public.

from Second Opinion

My partner isn’t interested in sex! This week, journalist Tuck Woodstock joins Myisha to talk about differences in desire and crushes.

from How’s Your Sex Life?

Will I ever love again? This week, content creator Luke Franchina joins Myisha to talk about the path to healing post-breakup.

from How’s Your Sex Life?

This week Peter Wohlleben , renowned German forester and author of “The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate,” talks about the age-old connection between humans…

from Life Examined

Climate change and increased moisture have altered the habitat for mosquitos.

from Second Opinion

Podcaster and writer Lauren Ober shares the story of her own later-in-life autism diagnosis.

from Life Examined