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Japanese Turning To "Therapeutic Ringtones"

Posted by samzenpus on from the take-two-calls-and-see-me-in-the-morning dept.

indiavision writes "A host of young Japanese are drawn to the allure of 'therapeutic ringtones' — a genre of melodies that promises to ease a range of day-to-day gripes, from chronic insomnia to a rotten hangover. Developed by Matsumi Suzuki, the head of the Japan Ringing Tone Laboratory, an eight-year-old subsidiary of the Japan Acoustic Laboratory, the tones are a hit with housewives as well as teenagers."

7 of 75 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Quackery by sakdoctor · · Score: 4, Funny

    If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a therapeutic ringtone.

  2. Re:So... by swanzilla · · Score: 5, Funny

    What's the Japanese for "There's a sucker born every minute"?

    Sony.

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    0 = 1 + e^(Alt something)
  3. Re:Theraputic? by icebike · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I can't speak to Theraputic, but having a loud annoying ring tone affects the way most people answer the phone.

    Something soothing sets the mood. Something loud or annoying tends to make people snap at the caller.

    This was found when the first electronic handsets were introduced to offices. They came with a selection of ring tones and office managers quickly determined that setting the phones to use the more pleasant sounding the ring, lead to more civil answering, even during hectic times.

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    Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
  4. Re:Theraputic? by Locke2005 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Scientists have proven that placebos work just as well as the leading anti-depressants for patients with mild or moderate depression! Placebos are cheap, versatile, and have soooooooo many uses! They are the new wonder drug!

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    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  5. Re:It's pronounced "fewer" by Locke2005 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Shouldn't the first letter of a sentence be capitalized?

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    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  6. Well, the smart money is on it, at least. by PaganRitual · · Score: 4, Interesting

    the tones are a hit with housewives as well as teenagers.

    Ah, the two most well-informed, fad-immune, money-conscious target markets out there. If anything was going to convince me that this wasn't just total bullshit, it would be the take up of this concept by those two groups. I'll take three, please.

  7. Re:So... by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 4, Informative

    Man, I thought that "Sony" meant "Coasting on the reputation you once deserved".

    No wonder they say that Japanese is tricky...