The Power of Passive Listening and Overcoming Indifference

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At first, I was closed-minded about it, but because I kept hearing it around me, it gradually became part of my thought process. It was like my brain was exposed to unfamiliar sounds and movements, but through passive listening, it started making sense of it all. This just goes to show that indifference is the opposite of love, not hate. I was never indifferent because I found it intriguing. As the biologist P.B. Matowar said, the brain initially rejects new stimuli like the body rejects new proteins. However, if we see others having success with it, we become more open to trying it ourselves.

In this special episode, Susan Rogers, a record producer turned cognitive neuroscientist, and Daniel Levitin, author of “This Is Your Brain on Music,” get together to discuss what music has meant in their lives, debate what separates a great artist from a generic one, and share some of their favorite tunes.

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Susan’s new book, “This Is What It Sounds Like,” was chosen by our curators — Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink — as one of the eight best works of nonfiction published last year. She recently made a beautiful video e-course about the book, which you can experience by downloading the Next Big Idea app.