​Welcome to Binge Thinking. We invite professors and experts to give lectures in bars around Boston, NYC, and DC!

In a world of AI slop, doomscrolling and brainrot, Binge Thinking brings real experts into real places for nights of learning, conversation, and community.

Think Responsibly.

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​Join us and grab a drink as we find out why one song can wreck you. Is your playlist secretly your therapist?

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TOPIC:
Your Brain on Music: The Science of Creativity, Health, and Human Flourishing

​SPEAKER:
Dr. Joy Allen, Berklee College of Music

​That song you've replayed 47 times this week? Your brain has opinions about it. Every culture on Earth makes music, and every one of us reacts to it, whether it's chills at the bridge, tears at a wedding, or an unstoppable urge to dance in the grocery store.

​But music isn't just background noise for our lives. It changes how we think, feel, move, bond, create, and even heal. Scientists are now taking a serious look at why a few minutes of the right song can lower stress, ease pain, unlock memories, and bring people together.

​In this talk, Dr. Joy Allen dives into the neuroscience behind music and makes the case that it might be one of the most powerful health tools humans have ever invented.

​Topics include:

​How music affects the brain and body in ways few other experiences can

​What music does to stress, pain, memory, movement, mental health, and social connection

​Why researchers are increasingly treating music as a real resource for health and wellbeing

​How creativity fuels resilience, meaning, and human flourishing

​How music therapy and neuroscience are reshaping healthcare, communities, and everyday life

​You'll walk out with a fresh appreciation for why music matters, plus practical ways to use sound, creativity, and connection for a healthier, more meaningful life. Your playlist may never sound the same again.

​About the Speaker

​Dr. Joy Allen, Ph.D., MT-BC, is Chair of the Music Therapy Department and Director of the Music and Health Institute at Berklee College of Music. She earned her bachelor's in music therapy from Loyola University New Orleans, and both her master's in music therapy and Ph.D. from Temple University.

​A clinician, researcher, and educator, she brings deep experience in psychological health, pain management, and trauma-informed education. She edited Guidelines for Music Therapy: Adult Medical Care and has written chapters on adult oncology, pain management, and medical music therapy. Before Berklee, she was coordinator of music therapy and an associate professor at Loyola, and her research contributions have been recognized by the American Music Therapy Association and Temple University, among others.

​Agenda

7:00 PM - Doors Open (Grab a seat and drinks!)
7:30 PM - Lecture Begins
8:10 PM - Audience Q&A
8:30 PM - Drinks & Conversation
9:00 PM - Event Ends