Here's why musicians have better brains. And it's pretty incredible.

When Adam Met walks onstage with his brothers, Jack and Ryan, as AJR, he’s usually met with thousands of fans screaming the words to every song. The multi-platinum band is known for infectious hooks and arena-sized sing-alongs, with songs like "Bang!," "World’s Smallest Violin," and "Way Less Sad," but Met’s life goes far beyond the stage.

He’s an adjunct professor at Columbia University, has a doctorate in international human rights law and sustainable development, is a nonprofit founder, and is now the author of Amplify. This national bestseller connects lessons from the music industry to lessons in activism. His specialty? Showing people how to turn fandom into movements, and how joy is the spark for both.

“When I roll out of bed, I say to myself, ‘What is actually going to bring me joy today?' And then I focus on those things," Met explained. “I don’t feel like I have to be doing any of the things that I’m doing … but I’m doing all of them because I love them and they make me happy.”

"I love using the academic side of my brain as much as the creative side of my brain as much as the fun side of my brain."

— Adam Met

Building movements like building a fanbase

- YouTube youtu.be

Met sees clear parallels between his career in music and his work as a climate activist. Whether it’s rolling out an album or launching a campaign, the process is the same: find your audience, welcome them in, and build a community where they feel safe and valued.

At AJR shows, the band’s goal is to make a packed arena feel like a one-on-one conversation. That intimacy translates into activism, too.

Instead of picturing engagement as a ladder people climb alone, Met uses what he calls the “hurricane model.” In this version, newcomers are pulled immediately to the center, given tools and encouragement, and then spiral outward to bring in more people.

“That’s how a fan base gets built. That’s how a social movement builds,” he said. “And as we’re thinking about the climate movement, we need more and more of that.”

Conversations that surprise

Adam Met at the Time100 NEXT event.Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for TIME

One of the book’s most memorable chapters comes from Met's sit-down with conservative commentator Glenn Beck.

“I so vehemently disagree with him on so many issues,” Met admitted. They spoke for nearly four hours, disagreeing for most of it, until they found one small but powerful area of agreement. It taught Adam something he’s carried into every part of his work: real bridges can form if you’re patient enough to look for common ground.

"If you take the time with people and end up finding something small to connect over, you can then build that bridge."

— Adam Met

What one person can do right now

When asked about the small personal choices we’re told to make, like paper straws, Met was blunt.

“The first thing I would do is go back to plastic straws. Paper straws are not really going to have any sort of impact. And also, they are terrible,” he said with a grin.

Instead, Met pushes people toward systemic impact.

“Literally put into Google when is my next local election,” he urged. “Your vote is thousands of times more powerful at the local level than it is at the national level.”

"Your vote is thousands of times more powerful at the local level than it is at the national level."

— Adam Met

Local boards decide how neighborhoods are zoned, where highways get built, and even where petrochemical plants go. And in many cases, those races are decided by a handful of votes.

Combating climate anxiety with small wins

Met knows many young people feel overwhelmed by the climate crisis. His answer? Look for quick, local victories that remind you that change is possible.

“Finding something that will take you a couple of days to get done and seeing that success and feeling that success … is the best way,” he said. Whether it’s pushing for a stop sign on your street or rallying neighbors to petition city hall, those wins fight back against the sense of helplessness.

From blueprint to revolution

Met unveiled the Neo-Industrial Revolution, a declaration handed out during Climate Week and available online. It calls for a rebrand of how we talk about climate change, shifting from distant concepts like “1.5 degrees” to urgent, relatable changes in transportation, energy, food, and housing.

“It starts with the language,” Met explained. “We need a new lexicon … and we need to make it personal and revolutionary.”

Where the music and movement meet

Even as he juggles tours, lectures, and writing, Met sees music as his proving ground. AJR’s live shows often feature a section where the brothers break down how a song was made, layering one instrument after another until the crowd realizes what track it is. That sense of discovery, suspense, and eventual release, is the same energy that he brings to activism.

“It’s the storytelling and that build that keeps people engaged,” he said.

And for fans, that engagement is real. At one AJR concert, a 12-year-old who started out nervous and quiet was on his feet by the time the band played “Way Less Sad." Met wants activism to feel the same way—moving people from timid curiosity to bold participation.

That’s what Amplify and the Neo-Industrial Revolution are all about: giving people the tools to move from the back row to the front lines.

Adam Met’s book, Amplify, is out now. You can explore the Neo-Industrial Revolution at neoindustrialrevolution.org. And most importantly, check when your next local election is, and make your voice heard.