“Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.” – Confucius
Performing a quick search of how many bands have ever existed results in a vague answer of approximately “a ton”. A small refinement to the search of active bands pulls up millions of artists and multiple avenues for how to listen to them. With endless music options at our fingertips, it would be easy to assume people are constantly searching for new sounds. Studies show this holds true for pre-adolescence, but as you move into adulthood you tend to settle into the same dozen or so bands. Doing some very basic, but fairly nonspecific, math means most adults are not even tapping into one percent of the music available to them.
Music is an expression artists bring to you pulled from life experiences and years of dedicated work. Studies support when we’re younger, we’re open to new and different forms of music. Around midlife, cement sets around our playlists. The exploration stops and the same few bands play on repeat. Research points to a few reasons for this shift, such as self identification journeys in youth vs. established social circles as adults. Other reasons include age-related changes in hearing, i.e. lack of interest in high volume/high frequency sounds. As youth, music is an exploration which helps form new memories and associations. Unfortunately, as this exploration decreases with age it can perpetuate the feeling of ’sameness’ day after day.
Fight being stuck in the endless repeat loop. Use applications to make recommendations for you. Go out of you music comfort zone and listen to new genres. Learn how to play an instrument. This process forces your mind to create new linkages. Even when listening to new music you don’t enjoy, it’s shown to benefit cognitive function and brain health. If leaving your music comfort zone is completely unappealing, it will be comforting to know studies show music increases mental health regardless of variation. Just remember, life is too short not to have a soundtrack. Explore and build the best one possible.
Action: Explore different music genres.
Bonus: Play an instrument.
Further Reading:
Association of Music Interventions With Health-Related Quality of Life
Musical Training and Brain Volume in Older Adults
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