For centuries, people have used music to soothe and to heal, but it's only in recent decades that scientists have begun to study and understand how music affects our minds and our bodies.

Armed with new research tools, scientists have been learning more about how our brains process music and exploring how music can be used to improve health and well-being

in areas as diverse as chronic pain, Parkinson's disease and stroke recovery.

Today we're going to talk about this latest research in the field with a world-renowned musician

who has become a leading proponent of research on the connection between music, the arts, and health,

and a scientist who studies the cognition and evolutionary origins of music. Some of the

questions we hope to tackle are, did humans evolve to be an inherently musical species? How can

understanding the evolutionary origins of music help us develop more effective music therapies?

What are some of the music therapies being used today?

What are the biggest challenges remaining in the field?

And what is the most promising research direction for the future?

Welcome to Speaking of Psychology, the flagship podcast of the American Psychological Association that examines the links between psychological science and everyday life.

I'm Kim Mills.

As I said, we have two guests today.

The first will need no introduction for music lovers.

Soprano Renee Fleming is one of the most celebrated musicians of our time,

sometimes called the People's Diva.

She's performed on the world's leading opera stages and concert halls

and appeared with all the major orchestras of Europe and North America.

Among her many awards are the National Medal of the Arts and Five Grammys. In recent years, she's

become a leading advocate for research on the science of music and how the arts can be used in health and

healing. As artistic advisor to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, she leads the

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