Binaural beats are fascinating psychoacoustic phenomena that may be no more than that, although there are legions of people who claim otherwise.
The phenomenon, which was first discovered in 1839, results when a person is subjected to two sounds, one in each ear.
If the frequencies of the sounds are very close but not identical, the listener will hear what sounds like a rhythmic pulse.
The pulse is an acoustic illusion, but what causes it is not fully understood.
It is, however, believed to be related to what is known as sound localization.
This is the process that allows the brain to interpret incoming sound waves so that when a sound is heard, its origin "behind, above, etc.
" can generally be distinguished.
This would seem to only be of interest to certain researchers, but a belief began to emerge in the 1970s that binaural beats could have practical applications.
They were seen as a potential diagnostic tool, as it was discovered, for example, that people afflicted with Parkinson's seemed to be unable to detect the pulses.
And there developed a belief that brainwaves would alter their patterns to try and synchronize with the perceived rhythm, and ultimately behavior could be altered.
There are claims that memory can be improved, that food cravings can be minimized, and that a person will just be more relaxed if subjected to their mystical throb, among other purported benefits.
There is no scientific verification of any of these claims.
Many of the supposed results may just be from the power of suggestion but who knows what further study of binaural beats may teach us about their mysterious nature.