Music and sound can have a powerful effect on the mind. A slow, light song can relax you, a happy, upbeat song can give you energy, and a good driving song can make your journey seem half as long. A song from a tape that you completely wore out in high school can bring you back instantly.

A researcher in Tokyo, Japan who studies the mind and artificial intelligence has taken this one step further. He is trying to show not only that music and sound can affect your mind, but that it can also make physical changes to your body.

The Experiment

In Japanese cities, people use cell phones. A LOT. It’s not uncommon for people in Tokyo to hear their cell phone ring 20-40 times per day. Hideto Tomabechi, one of the guys who helped deprogram members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult in Japan, has embedded a sound in a ringtone that fools your mind into interpreting it as a crying baby.

The hypothesis is that if women’s minds and bodies respond to the ringtone in the same way that they are known to respond to a real crying baby, then they will experience the same physiological effects as if they heard the real thing. If it’s heard often enough, over time their breasts will grow. No need for implants.

If you’re a man and aren’t thrilled about the idea of increasing your breast size, he also has ringtones in the works that he claims will improve your memory, make you more attractive to the opposite sex, cure baldness, and help you give up smoking. It’s all about the ringtones, baby.

I Want the Ringtone!

What, now you want a copy of the ringtone to secretly put on your girlfriend’s phone (or maybe you just want to hear it) ? Here you go:

[audio:http://www.noiseaddicts.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/breast-enlargement-ringtone.mp3]

Watch the Discovery Channel video below to see the results of the experiment.

(Update, 04/20/11: video no longer available on YouTube)