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Music is known to make us happy, or calm, or sad. But do other animals respond to dulcet1 tones, as well? In studies, our primate2 cousins prefer silence to our music. But maybe we were playing the wrong tune3.
Psychologist Charles Snowdon and musician David Teie teamed up to show that South American monkeys called cotton-top tamarins do respond to music: their own. The study was published in the journal Biology Letters.
With actual monkey calls in mind (MONKEY SOUNDS) Teie composed monkey music. (THREAT MUSIC) That tune was based on calls signifying anxiety. This one represents a happy, safe condition. (CALMING MUSIC) Snowdon played the compositions to tamarins. They became agitated4 hearing the threat song. And the more upbeat music put them in a mellow5 mood.
Much of what we communicate does depend on tone, not just words. This study suggests that what Snowdon calls the musical elements of speech has a deep evolutionary6 history. Just goes to show that music can “soothe a savage7 breast”—as long as it’s species appropriate.
1 dulcet | |
adj.悦耳的 | |
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2 primate | |
n.灵长类(目)动物,首席主教;adj.首要的 | |
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3 tune | |
n.调子;和谐,协调;v.调音,调节,调整 | |
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4 agitated | |
adj.被鼓动的,不安的 | |
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5 mellow | |
adj.柔和的;熟透的;v.变柔和;(使)成熟 | |
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6 evolutionary | |
adj.进化的;演化的,演变的;[生]进化论的 | |
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7 savage | |
adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人 | |
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