Longing Music Is Like Laughing

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The Greek philosopher Aristotle suggested that the human body contains four humors or liquid substances, each corresponding to a different temperament. People whose favorite songs are happy listen to them about 175 times on average. Those who favor bittersweet songs listen almost 800 times according to a study by University of Michigan professors Fred Conrad and Jason Corey. Music is an expression of that which we long for. Longing propels our search for the mysterious that.

The Next Big Idea presents an audio masterclass from bestselling author Susan Cain. Drawing on her latest book, "Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole," Susan shares practical insights that you can use to bolster your creativity, deepen your connections, and find joy.

Susan Cain is the author of two New York Times #1 bestsellers, "Bittersweet" and "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking." She's also one of our curators here at the Next Big Idea Club. To learn more about her work, visit susancain.net.

If you enjoy this episode, we invite you to join our community by downloading the Next Big Idea app, where you can listen to e-courses by brilliant authors like Shankar Vedantam, Lisa Feldman Barrett, and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. Visit nextbigideaclub.com/app.