Music

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<p dir="ltr"><b id="docs-internal-guid-3dbef574-7fff-506d-ad98-4ed5667b30f3">We all have a nostalgic song that transports us to our adolescent days. Maybe Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” reminds you of hapless teenage attempts at an 80s mullet. Perhaps the Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen” elicits memories of uncoordinated hip gyrations and tight leather pants. Or maybe, Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” induces flashbacks to middle school imitations of the music video’s signature hand-flip. </b></p>
<p dir="ltr"><b id="docs-internal-guid-3dbef574-7fff-506d-ad98-4ed5667b30f3">Your early musical memories could be more influential than you think. The songs you listened to during middle and high school may form your music taste for the rest of your life. </b></p>
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<h1 dir="ltr"><b id="docs-internal-guid-41bd6757-7fff-10ef-86cf-c54a3a889d34">Music and Data Science </b></h1>
<p dir="ltr"><b id="docs-internal-guid-41bd6757-7fff-10ef-86cf-c54a3a889d34">Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, who elaborated upon his insights in a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/10/opinion/sunday/favorite-songs.html" title="nostalgia songs">New York Times op-ed</a>, proposed this theory. Having obtained a collection of Spotify data about the listening habits of men and women by age group, Davidowitz analyzed the frequency at which each group listened to a particular song. </b></p>
<p dir="ltr"><b id="docs-internal-guid-41bd6757-7fff-10ef-86cf-c54a3a889d34"> Surprisingly, the information from Spotify showed clear musical taste delineation by birth year. Specifically, the data showed that people were far more likely to continuously listen to popular nostalgic songs during adolescence. For example, 38-year-old men proved far more likely to enjoy “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFkzRNyygfk" title="nostalgia songs">Creep</a>” by Radiohead than any other age group (the song came out in 1993 when these men were 14). Such patterns persisted for countless artists and songs—if you listened to a lot of Linda Ronstadt in your youth, chances are you still think “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haZPPBJC8Ic" title="nostalgia songs">You’re No Good</a>” is...pretty good. </b></p>
<p dir="ltr"><b id="docs-internal-guid-41bd6757-7fff-10ef-86cf-c54a3a889d34"> Furthermore, the analysis narrowed down the specific 3-year window that profoundly affected music taste. Boys, Davidowitz claims, form the majority of their music taste between the ages of 13 and 16. For girls, this period is earlier, with music taste formation falling between 11 and 14. The difference, Davidowitz proposes, could result from the difference in biological development by gender—girls <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3613238/" title="nostalgia songs">go through puberty earlier</a> and mature faster than boys do. This hypothesis would make logical sense through research that shows <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201312/scientists-identify-why-girls-often-mature-faster-boys" title="nostaglia songs">puberty’s effect on re-shaping neural connections</a>—our music tastes are wired into our brains. </b></p>
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<h1 dir="ltr"><b id="docs-internal-guid-700447ba-7fff-f3bc-89b0-645b63fb4ee2">Music and Me</b></h1>
<p dir="ltr"><b id="docs-internal-guid-700447ba-7fff-f3bc-89b0-645b63fb4ee2">Though COVID-19 has temporarily paused live concerts, I fondly remember my 2019 trip to see Paul McCartney perform in San Jose. In addition to the concert ticket, I attended an hour’s exclusive pre-concert rehearsal. I was thrilled by the opportunity to see McCartney “unfiltered,” his jangling notes resonating among an intimate audience of about 75 super-fans. </b></p>
<p dir="ltr"><b id="docs-internal-guid-700447ba-7fff-f3bc-89b0-645b63fb4ee2">McCartney has a vast catalog of Beatles, Wings, and solo songs that even a typical 3-hour concert still leaves him with a surfeit of unplayed hits. However, in support of Davidowitz’s point, McCartney proved he isn’t immune to the effects of nostalgia. For the soundcheck, he chose to play several cover songs. His choice of borrowed material—including Carl Perkins’ “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm5HKlQ6nGM" title="nostalgia songs">Blue Suede Shoes</a>” and “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-M-mr-0wSw" title="nostalgia songs">Honey Don’t</a>,” Buddy Holly’s “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-M-mr-0wSw" title="nostalgia songs">It’s So Easy</a>,” and Jesse Fuller’s “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBME_J0pf3o" title="nostalgia songs">San Francisco Bay Blues</a>”—featured nostalgic songs that were released during his formative teenage years. </b></p>
<p><b id="docs-internal-guid-700447ba-7fff-f3bc-89b0-645b63fb4ee2">The release dates of those four cover songs couldn’t more perfectly coordinate with the New York Times’s findings. The four songs formed a chronological progression of the development of McCartney’s musical taste, from the animated, sensual notes of Carl Perkins to the playful, blues-influenced sounds of Buddy Holly. Though McCartney’s song choice could attribute to his sentimentality for the past, the precise relationship between the age range proposed by Davidowitz and the songs’ release date is unlikely to be coincidental. “Blue Suede Shoes” and “San Francisco Bay Blues” were released when McCartney was 13, “Honey Don’t” when he was 14, and “It’s So Easy” when he was 16.</b></p>
<p dir="ltr"><b id="docs-internal-guid-700447ba-7fff-f3bc-89b0-645b63fb4ee2">I mused about my sentimental connection with Paul McCartney’s music at the night's end. I was 15 when the Beatles broke up. Perhaps, I am nostalgic for the years in which I had few responsibilities and unlimited time. Or maybe, my adolescent brain was subconsciously shaped by the ubiquitous music of the Beatles. In either case, my love for the Beatles has stayed with me throughout my life. Of course, depending on your age, your taste in music, and which songs you find nostalgic may be different!</b></p>
<p><b id="docs-internal-guid-700447ba-7fff-f3bc-89b0-645b63fb4ee2"><a href="https://mystoriesmatter.com/" title="nostalgia songs">My Stories Matter</a> has Spotify playlists that help you remember nostalgic songs from each decade. <a href="https://mystoriesmatter.com/" title="nostalgia songs">Sign up</a> today for free and bask in the nostalgia!</b></p>


Your adolescence may be more influential to your music taste than you think

Why You Prefer Nostalgic Songs From Your Teenage Years

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<p dir="ltr"><b id="docs-internal-guid-6f08ca32-7fff-50ea-5a1e-9e2655b0c8b9">You have a dream vacation coming up. You want to enjoy and remember it as much as possible. </b></p>
<p><b id="docs-internal-guid-6f08ca32-7fff-50ea-5a1e-9e2655b0c8b9">Photos, of course, are obligatory. They serve as beautiful external reminders of enjoyable times you had. But sometimes, capturing images is at the expense of living in the moment and fully immersed in what’s happening.</b></p>
<p><b id="docs-internal-guid-6f08ca32-7fff-50ea-5a1e-9e2655b0c8b9">Fortunately, we carry deeper, internal reminders with us 24/7: our memories. But our memories are only sometimes as readily available as we might like, especially as we get older. But there’s a tool we can deploy to help us—music.</b></p>
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<h1 dir="ltr"><b id="docs-internal-guid-9fcf8d3f-7fff-27b8-b91e-bb98abc71c64">Memory Cues: What the Science Says</b></h1>
<p><b id="docs-internal-guid-9fcf8d3f-7fff-27b8-b91e-bb98abc71c64">Strong evidence suggests that nearly everything we experience is stored in our long-term memory in some form. But those memories aren’t lost forever; they’re just inaccessible. We can use cues to trigger dormant memories.</b></p>
<p><b id="docs-internal-guid-9fcf8d3f-7fff-27b8-b91e-bb98abc71c64">Memory cues are any stimulus that prompts our minds to recall a memory. A song. A scent. The feel of a treasured memento in one’s hands. In addition to stimulating mental and emotional responses, memory cues can trigger physiological changes in our bodies. These associations are built from past experiences and help us interpret our current ones. Music is also a type of memory cue. It gets interesting when we consciously use memory cues in the present to help us remember in the future.</b></p>
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<h1 dir="ltr"><b id="docs-internal-guid-d2f7f6b3-7fff-f586-4c51-bce2f08c150b">The Connection Between Songs and Memories</b></h1>
<p><b id="docs-internal-guid-d2f7f6b3-7fff-f586-4c51-bce2f08c150b">We all have a particular song that immediately transports us back to a place, time, person, or event with special meaning. It isn’t just one or two songs that can trigger memories. </b></p>
<p><b id="docs-internal-guid-d2f7f6b3-7fff-f586-4c51-bce2f08c150b">In a <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/study-finds-brain-hub-links-music-memory-and-emotion/" title="music">2009 study</a>, Dr. Janata from UC Davis played random songs from the Top 100 charts when his subjects were 8 to 18 years old. More than 75% of the songs were associated with a specific memory. This effect occurs through the medial prefrontal cortex, retrieving memories and linking music, memory, and emotion.</b></p>
<p><b id="docs-internal-guid-d2f7f6b3-7fff-f586-4c51-bce2f08c150b">Using music as a memory cue helps <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25725917/" title="music">us reconnect with our past</a>.</b></p>
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<h1 dir="ltr"><b id="docs-internal-guid-57de9942-7fff-2c33-0f20-d60d794e91ab">Now, the Good Bit</b></h1>
<p><b id="docs-internal-guid-57de9942-7fff-2c33-0f20-d60d794e91ab">We can use music daily to enhance our ability to remember and enjoy our experiences. Subconsciously, your brain will build associations between the music and your experiences. You can try this simple technique by taking a new album and listening to it repeatedly during your next trip.</b></p>
<p><b id="docs-internal-guid-57de9942-7fff-2c33-0f20-d60d794e91ab">This technique doesn’t have to be limited to vacations---you can do it at any time, whether you’re trying to remember a special moment or attempting to retain important information you just learned. Be mindful about creating future memories by selecting the music you play daily as an ambient background to whatever you do.</b></p>
<p><b id="docs-internal-guid-57de9942-7fff-2c33-0f20-d60d794e91ab">Try this yourself! Log into <a href="https://mystoriesmatter.com/user/register" title="music ">My Stories Matter</a> free and capture the memories that resurface when you try our music memory cues!</b></p>


Music

Why You Prefer Nostalgic Songs From Your Teenage Years

Tapping into Memories with Music