This week, as part of the Live Happy Summer Reading Program, host Paula Felps sits down with Elizabeth Margulis, a professor of music at Princeton University and director of the Music Cognition Lab, to talk about her book, Transported: The Everyday Magic of Musical Daydreams. Elizabeth explains why our minds naturally wander when we listen to music, how those imaginative journeys shape our sense of self, and why these experiences are far more meaningful — and scientifically important — than we realize. Listen as she reveals how reconnecting with this simple, often overlooked way of listening can deepen our relationships, boost our mental health, and bring us back to the joy that first made us fall in love with music.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why unfamiliar songs can trigger similar imagery across listeners.
- How music helps us process memories.
- Why daydreaming to music may be essential for creativity and emotional well‑being.
Buy your copy of Transported: The Everyday Magic of Musical Daydreams
Visit Elizabeth’s Elizabeth’s website
This week’s bonus: Download a free chapter of Transported: The Everyday Magic of Musical Daydreams
Excerpted from Transported: The Everyday Magic of Musical Daydreams by Elizabeth Margulis. Copyright (c) 2026 by Elizabeth Margulis. Used with permission of the publisher, Liveright Publishing Corporation, a division of W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.
Follow along with the transcript.
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