Rudi can't fail

originalmaja: The Science of Why Adele’s “Someone Like You” Makes Everyone Cry Tension, resolution, and the ever important “buildy-ness” (which is a term I invented but is accurate), these are the characteristics behind the most extreme emotional reactions to songs: Twenty years ago, the British psychologist John Sloboda conducted a simple experiment. He asked music lovers to identify passages of songs that reliably set off a physical reaction, such as tears or goose bumps. Participants identified 20 tear-triggering passages, and when Dr. Sloboda analyzed their properties, a trend emerged: 18 contained a musical device called an “appoggiatura.” An appoggiatura is a type of ornamental note that clashes with the melody just enough to create a dissonant sound. “This generates tension in the listener,” said Martin Guhn, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia who co-wrote a 2007 study on the subject. “When the notes return to the anticipated melody, the tension resolves, and it feels good.” Chills often descend on listeners at these moments of resolution. When several appoggiaturas occur next to each other in a melody, it generates a cycle of tension and release. This provokes an even stronger reaction, and that is when the tears start to flow. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203646004577213010291701378.html

originalmaja:

The Science of Why Adele’s “Someone Like You” Makes Everyone Cry

Tension, resolution, and the ever important “buildy-ness” (which is a term I invented but is accurate), these are the characteristics behind the most extreme emotional reactions to songs:

Twenty years ago, the British psychologist John Sloboda conducted a simple experiment. He asked music lovers to identify passages of songs that reliably set off a physical reaction, such as tears or goose bumps. Participants identified 20 tear-triggering passages, and when Dr. Sloboda analyzed their properties, a trend emerged: 18 contained a musical device called an “appoggiatura.”

An appoggiatura is a type of ornamental note that clashes with the melody just enough to create a dissonant sound. “This generates tension in the listener,” said Martin Guhn, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia who co-wrote a 2007 study on the subject. “When the notes return to the anticipated melody, the tension resolves, and it feels good.”

Chills often descend on listeners at these moments of resolution. When several appoggiaturas occur next to each other in a melody, it generates a cycle of tension and release. This provokes an even stronger reaction, and that is when the tears start to flow.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203646004577213010291701378.html

(via sirlowkey)

blackandwtf: July 21, 1951 The Althoff Circus organized a publicity stunt by putting a baby elephant on the floating train at Alter Markt station. As the elephant started to bump around during the ride, she was pushed out the wagon and she fell into the river Wupper. The elephant, two journalists, and one passenger received minor injuries. After this jump, the elephant got the name of Tuffi, meaning ‘waterdive’ in italian. Both operator and circus director were fined after the incident.

blackandwtf:

July 21, 1951

The Althoff Circus organized a publicity stunt by putting a baby elephant on the floating train at Alter Markt station. As the elephant started to bump around during the ride, she was pushed out the wagon and she fell into the river Wupper. The elephant, two journalists, and one passenger received minor injuries. After this jump, the elephant got the name of Tuffi, meaning ‘waterdive’ in italian. Both operator and circus director were fined after the incident.