Steffen Herff

How tiny tweaks in music shape what we imagine New research from the Sydney Music, Mind and Body Lab at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music at the University of Sydney has found that even the smallest of human touches in music can shape and enhance...

Following the publication of our paper "Micro-variations in timing and loudness affect music-evoked mental imagery", the University of Sydney has just shared a media release!

How tiny tweaks in music shape what we imagine
www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion...

Micro-variations in timing and loudness affect music-evoked mental imagery - Scientific Reports Scientific Reports - Micro-variations in timing and loudness affect music-evoked mental imagery

The first study from my PhD project is now available! 🎉

"Micro-variations in timing and loudness affect music-evoked mental imagery"

Supervised by wonderful @steffenherff.bsky.social @andytonality.bsky.social and @muireannirish.bsky.social.

Read here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Music is good company: new study shows music induces social imagination Music keeps you company: a new study led by Dr Steffen A. Herff, cognitive neuroscientist at Sydney, Music, Mind and Body Lab at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, has shown for the first time empirically that music can indeed keep you company by facilitating imagined social interactions.

“Whether we’re celebrating or grieving, music is something we can turn to."

A new study led by @steffenherff.bsky.social from @sydney.edu.au's Sydney Conservatorium of Music has shown for the first time empirically that music can keep you company by facilitating imagined social interactions.

Wonderful to see our research being featured on the ABC's Weekend Breakfast. In a wonderful chat between @cerenayyildiz.bsky.social from the Sydney, Music, Mind, and Body Lab, and Fauziah Ibrahim & Tom Oriti from the ABC, they discussed how music can be good company. @sydney.edu.au

Can music be good company? Research shows it makes our imagination more social When people listen to music, they’re more likely to imagine social interactions.

This is the link to a conversation article summarising the research: theconversation.com/can-music-be...

And this is the link to the original research paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

@cerenayyildiz.bsky.social from the @smmb-lab.bsky.social just did a wonderful interview on live TV discussing our recent research looking at 'Can Music be good company'.
#musicscience #mentalimagery @sydney.edu.au

Can you think of examples of books, films, TV shows, etc. featuring earworms or other types of imagined music? Please share them here! musicinmyhead.org/inner-music-...

Can music be good company? Research shows it makes our imagination more social When people listen to music, they’re more likely to imagine social interactions.

My supervisor, Dr @steffenherff.bsky.social, and I wrote this piece for The Conversation on music and imagination:
“Can music be good company?”
…based on our lab’s recent work

@smmb-lab.bsky.social

theconversation.com/can-music-be...

Can music be good company? Research shows it makes our imagination more social When people listen to music, they’re more likely to imagine social interactions.

Can music be good company?

We contributed a small piece to the @theconversation.com drawing from recent work in the field of music and mental imagery. #musicscience #mentalimagery

theconversation.com/can-music-be...

Solitary silence and social sounds: music can influence mental imagery, inducing thoughts of social interactions - Scientific Reports Scientific Reports - Solitary silence and social sounds: music can influence mental imagery, inducing thoughts of social interactions

Delighted to share our new work 'Solitary silence and social sounds: music can influence mental imagery, inducing thoughts of social interactions'. We show that music is indeed good company! #musicscience #mentalimagery www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Alternatively/Additionally, listeners might draw on music that carries important autobiographical memories. Some of that personally relevant music will be sad/lonely, thus reported here. Personally, I think the truth lies somewhere in the combination of the two mechanisms.

Well spotted. My reading would be listening to overly positive music might at times constitute a clash if feeling lonely. Sometimes we draw solace from simply feeling understood in our current state, more so than attempts of getting modulated away from the emotion.

Music as Social Surrogate? A Qualitative Analysis of Older Adults’ Musical Choices to Alleviate Loneliness Hosted on the Open Science Framework

Excellent point @doctorcochrane.bsky.social . We've just uploaded the list of pieces selected by the participants to the online supplement: osf.io/hr9qm . Happy perusing. Thanks for the impetus.

Worried about your child’s transition from daycare to ‘big school’? Music can make it easier | Sarah Ayoub Music may help to connect children to one another and their new place – if it is well chosen

I had the great pleasure to chat with Sarah Ayoub about Music, Imagination, and their potential benefits for children transitioning from day care to 'big school' www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... @australia.theguardian.com @sydneyuni.bsky.social #mentalimagery #musicscience

The ALS is offering five scholarships and prizes to provide funding support of up to $5,000 for linguistics research students conducting research in any area of linguistics.

Deadline: 6 May 2024

Find out more here: www.als.asn.au/Pages/ALS/Gr...

With this generous support, I’ll be working at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music to continue my research on
i) music induced mental imagery for therapeutic application and
ii) biofeedback systems to prevent musculoskeletal disorders in musicians.

Sydney attracts top research talent with innovative Fellowships The University of Sydney's unprecedented investment in its appointment of 40 research fellows across a range of disciplines.

I’m truly honoured to have been awarded a Sydney Horizon Fellowship at USYD. #musicscience #mentalimagery www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion...

Discover the science behind why some tunes stick in your head forever! Dr Steffen Herff breaks down the relationship between music and memory. From emotional nostalgia to the 'reminiscence bump', explore the power of musical memories. Read more: tinyurl.com/2vk5cy72 | @steffenherff.bsky.social

"Think about music as a strong emotional amplifier, and we can use it for many purposes." ARC DECRA Research Fellow, Dr Steffen Herff (@steffenherff.bsky.social), talked about harnessing the power of music with ABC Classic. #musicscience #powerofmusic | Read more: tinyurl.com/ycyxer7w

Delighted to share that our (with @matskussner.bsky.social S.Hashim @cerenayyildiz.bsky.social) project on using music-induced #mentalimagery to alleviate feelings of loneliness in older adults was funded (2yrs) by the DAAD and the UA under the AU/GER Joint Research Cooperation Scheme #musicscience

Do you want to do a phd on #speech and #song and how we use our brain for it #electrophysiology #neuroimaging #motor #rhythm ? Come work with us at the MPI_ae ! Apply here and contact me for questions.

e-recruiting.pro/jobposting/7...

Please forward to everyone interested!

JCU has the Elizabeth Pearse Music Scholarship to fund the study of music at Masters or PhD level. Applications now open. #MusicScience

Interested in a #musicscience / #musicology internship in the Department of Musicology and Media Studies at HU Berlin? Apply for one of our projects before 10 Dec and join our team in the summer of 2024: hic.hu-berlin.de/en/internshi...

New #musicscience & #mentalimagery work on "Music listening evokes story-like visual imagery with both idiosyncratic and shared content" by
Sarah Hashim, Lauren Stewart, @matskussner.bsky.social ,
Diana Omigie
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

PhD studentships in the School of Psychology at Keele University on FindAPhD.com PhD Programme - PhD studentships in the School of Psychology at Keele University, listed on FindAPhD.com

Funded PhD project on music, autobiographical and collective memories with me at Keele Uni, UK -psych grads only, sorry, but distance learners welcome. Closes 4 December. #musicscience

Welcome to PhD students @cerenayyildiz.bsky.social (researching how 🎵 rhythm & instrumentation affect directed mental imagery) & @ugurmkaya.bsky.social (how vocal techniques shape vividness & sentiment of mental imagery) who just joined our #mentalimagery and #musicscience communities on 🟦sky.

+++ Luiza and I met *virtually* two years ago at SysMus21, and now we’re doing our PhDs together at the MARCS Institute, not only attended #SysMus23 together until 4 am Sydney time, but virtually sat together! 👯‍♀️🎶🎙️👀 #musicscience

It was great attending #SysMus23 and presenting our recent research on the prevalent role of imagined social interactions during music listening @steffenherff.bsky.social Liila Taruffi! ✨✨✨🎶🧠 #musicscience

We are hiring! I’m not on this search committee, but would be great to see some #musicscience peeps apply northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/career...

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