Makiko Sadakata wins an NWO Open Competition SSH XS

Makiko Sadataka has won the NWO funding for her project Towards the Auditory Aesthetic Aha: exploring how our brain rewards discovering music in sounds. Congratulations! 

Abstract
Imagine a jumble of black-and-white patches that suddenly reveals a face and feels meaningful. Moments like this, when something confusing suddenly makes sense, are often surprisingly pleasurable. This project explores whether similar moments also occur when we listen to sound, for example, when repeated speech unexpectedly starts to sound like music. By studying these sudden shifts in perception, we aim to understand how insight shapes our enjoyment of sound and music, and how the brain transforms ambiguous information into meaningful and aesthetically rewarding experiences.