Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Do you ever hear a song that transports you to a specific place and time? This auditory wormhole has a name: musical daydreams. Music cognition expert Elizabeth Margulis studies why they happen, and what they tell us about our brains. She joins Host Flora Lichtman to discuss this phenomenon.

Guest:
Dr. Elizabeth Margulis is a professor and director of Princeton’s Music Cognition Lab. She’s also the author of “Transported: The Everyday Magic of Musical Daydreams.”

Other episodes you may enjoy:
• A Neurologist Investigates His Own Musical Hallucinations (sciencefriday.com/segments/neurologist-musical-hallucinations?utm_source=wnyc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=scifri?)
• Oliver Sacks Searched The Brain For The Origins Of Music (sciencefriday.com/segments/oliver-sacks-music-brain?utm_source=wnyc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=scifri?)

Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com (sciencefriday.com/segments/musical-daydreams-brain?utm_source=wnyc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=scifri?) . (sciencefriday.com/segments/effects-of-alcohol-hangover-liquor-wine/?utm_source=wnyc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=scifri)

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