The Story
Reliving past heartbreak. Picturing a serene future. Imagining a fantastical scene. Across genres, music has an uncanny ability to carry us into distinct inner worlds.
In Transported, acclaimed music cognition researcher Elizabeth Margulis explores the phenomenon of musical daydreams--the vivid, spontaneous, emotionally charged images, stories, and memories we lapse into while listening to music--and argues that these everyday reveries offer a powerful and underappreciated window into how we think, feel, and connect.
Combining cutting-edge neuroscience, psychology, ethnography, and revelations from her own teaching and pathbreaking research, Margulis shows not only that musical imaginings are widespread and meaningful--but also that daydreams which seem deeply personal are often widely shared. Music can alleviate anxiety, ignite creativity, and foster connection in our increasingly fragmented era.
At a time when attention is perpetually under siege, Transported makes a powerful case for music as one of the last spaces where the mind is still free to wander--and reminds us that these wanderings are more meaningful and more important to our individual and collective well-being than we've ever realized.
Author: Elizabeth Margulis
Publisher: Liveright Publishing Corporation
Published: 05/19/2026
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.01lbs
Size: 9.14h x 5.92w x 1.03d
ISBN: 9781324095798
Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 03/27/2026 pg. 1
Publishers Weekly 04/20/2026
Kirkus Reviews 03/01/2026
Booklist 05/01/2026
About the Author
Margulis, Elizabeth: - Elizabeth Margulis is professor of music and director of the Music Cognition Lab at Princeton University. Her book On Repeat: How Music Plays the Mind won the Wallace Berry Award from the Society for Music Theory. She lives in Princeton, New Jersey.
Description
Reliving past heartbreak. Picturing a serene future. Imagining a fantastical scene. Across genres, music has an uncanny ability to carry us into distinct inner worlds.
In Transported, acclaimed music cognition researcher Elizabeth Margulis explores the phenomenon of musical daydreams--the vivid, spontaneous, emotionally charged images, stories, and memories we lapse into while listening to music--and argues that these everyday reveries offer a powerful and underappreciated window into how we think, feel, and connect.
Combining cutting-edge neuroscience, psychology, ethnography, and revelations from her own teaching and pathbreaking research, Margulis shows not only that musical imaginings are widespread and meaningful--but also that daydreams which seem deeply personal are often widely shared. Music can alleviate anxiety, ignite creativity, and foster connection in our increasingly fragmented era.
At a time when attention is perpetually under siege, Transported makes a powerful case for music as one of the last spaces where the mind is still free to wander--and reminds us that these wanderings are more meaningful and more important to our individual and collective well-being than we've ever realized.
Author: Elizabeth Margulis
Publisher: Liveright Publishing Corporation
Published: 05/19/2026
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.01lbs
Size: 9.14h x 5.92w x 1.03d
ISBN: 9781324095798
Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 03/27/2026 pg. 1
Publishers Weekly 04/20/2026
Kirkus Reviews 03/01/2026
Booklist 05/01/2026
About the Author
Margulis, Elizabeth: - Elizabeth Margulis is professor of music and director of the Music Cognition Lab at Princeton University. Her book On Repeat: How Music Plays the Mind won the Wallace Berry Award from the Society for Music Theory. She lives in Princeton, New Jersey.
