Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Adam Navis.

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　　And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

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　　How does this sound make you feel? Does it make you feel proud? Does it make you feel uncomfortable?

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　　How does this sound make you feel? Does it make you feel happy? Does it make you feel joy?

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　　Does this sound make you feel frightened?

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　　Does this one make you feel stressed?

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　　Do you ever notice the sounds you hear every day? How do these sounds influence your emotions? Do you think about what sounds make you feel happy or full of joy? In today’s program we think about the ways that sound influences our feelings and lives. Today’s Spotlight is on the sounds of joy!

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　　Buzz Channel is an internet research company. In June 2011, Buzz Channel asked people in New Zealand what sounds gave them joy. 507 people took part in the study. Buzz Channel sent them a form full of questions - a survey. Many people answered this survey on the internet. The people were all very different - old and young, male and female. And they were all from different parts of New Zealand.

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　　Buzz Channel asked each person what their favorite sounds were. After each person answered, Buzz channel also asked each person to rate other sounds. Buzz Channel suggested a sound. Then they asked the person how much they liked it.

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　　So what did Buzz Channel discover? What sounds make New Zealanders feel joy? Some people said they felt joy when they heard their cat purr. Some enjoyed the sound of rain on the roof or bells. Some even enjoyed the simple sound of silence! However, there were three sounds most people liked better than any other sound. The third most popular sound was the song from the Tui bird. This bird is native to New Zealand. The second favorite sound was the sound of music. But different people liked different kinds of music. But most people said that the sound of children laughing was the sound that made them feel pure joy.

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　　Cadbury Dairy Milk asked Buzz Channel to do this study. Cadbury is a candy company. They are famous for their chocolate and other sweet treats. Cadbury wanted to know New Zealand’s top ten sounds of joy. But they did not just want to know this information. They wanted to use it for a very particular purpose. They wanted to use this information to sell more chocolate. This study was part of a much larger project. This project aimed to discover what made New Zealanders happy. Then, Cadbury could put all this information together. They would make advertisements to sell chocolate and candy. And these advertisements would use all of the things that made New Zealanders happy.

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　　Doctor Aaron Jarden helped Buzz Channel with the study. He is the President of New Zealand’s Association of Positive Psychology. He studies ways to improve people’s wellbeing. Wellbeing is a sense of happiness about life. Doctor Jarden thinks the results of this study are very interesting. Online marketing magazine StopPress wrote about Cadbury’s study. Doctor Jarden told StopPress:

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　　“Although we know joy when we see it and feel it, we have almost no idea what it sounds like. There is a lot of information about the links between music and our feelings. In fact, there is a whole field of ‘music therapy’. But there is almost no research on the link between sounds and joy. It is great to see Cadbury look at this element and asking New Zealanders what they think joy sounds like.”

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　　Cadbury used the information from this study to create a short advertisement to sell chocolate in New Zealand. The advertisement used many of the sounds that make New Zealanders happy. The Cadbury company hoped this would encourage New Zealanders to buy more Cadbury chocolate. This is what the advertisement sounds like:

　　“Can joy make a melody?”

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　　Doctor Jarden points out that these are the sounds the people of New Zealand like the most. But what about people in other countries? What sounds bring joy to people around the world? Are they similar? Is children’s laughter the best sound in the world?

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　　Spotlight asked our listeners what their favorite sounds were. Most of them also said that some kind of laughter was their favorite sound! Javier said that his favorite sound was the cry of a newborn baby. Hector wrote that his favorite sound was the smile or laugh of a child. Todd agreed - his favorite sound was laughter too. And Maria said that her favorite sound was when her children were running to give her a hug and a kiss.

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　　Doctor Jarden believes there is a reason that laughter is our favorite sound. He believes it is important for our wellbeing. When people experience joy, they feel better. This makes their lives better. In a statement for the press about the Cadbury’s advertisement Jarden says:

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　　“Experiencing simple times of joy and taking the time to enjoy the good times in life are very important. Laughter is both a cause and effect of joy. People laugh a lot more on the weekends compared to weekdays. Laughter is also good for relationships, both building new ones and keeping old ones.”

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　　Doctor Jarden may only be trying to sell Cadbury chocolate. But his words also have some truth! People usually laugh when they are with people they like and feel comfortable with. There is an old wise saying about laughter: laughter is the best medicine! It can truly make people feel better.

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　　What do you think about this study? Is laughter your favorite sound? What sound brings you joy?

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　　The writer and producer of this program was Liz Waid. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at www.radioenglish.net. This program is called, ‘Sounds of Joy’.

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　　You can also leave your comments on our website. Or you can email us at [email protected]. You can also find us on Facebook - just search for Spotlight Radio. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.