Do you still listen to music from your high school years? Neural Nostalgia

[zumbro clones]

I saw an article from Slate.com that got bumped recently that discussed "Musical nostalgia". A lot of people my age listen to oldies music exclusively and it gets tiring to me. Whenever we have a bonfire or are in the car together, they play only play music from their youth. To me, it's ok, but I prefer newer music that I haven't heard so many times over and over.

Turns out that there is science confirming that it is a effect they are calling "Neural Nostalgia".

"In recent years, psychologists and neuroscientists have confirmed that these songs hold disproportionate power over our emotions. And researchers have uncovered evidence that suggests our brains bind us to the music we heard as teenagers more tightly than anything we’ll hear as adults—a connection that doesn’t weaken as we age. Musical nostalgia, in other words, isn’t just a cultural phenomenon: It’s a neuronic command. And no matter how sophisticated our tastes might otherwise grow to be, our brains may stay jammed on those songs we obsessed over during the high drama of adolescence."

What you all think about this?

https://slate.com/technology/2014/0...ong-preference-and-the-reminiscence-bump.html

 

[Cyclonepride]

For quite some time, I kind of disregarded it, but have come back to it in the last few years. I still gravitate more towards late 60's/70's music than 80's (my teen years)

 

[FerShizzle]

not necessarily my high school music, but definitely music from college and my early 20's.

its amazing how many memories and feelings are tied to it and get stirred up. my sense of deja vu while high and listening to old music is a fun ride.

 

[Turn2]

Absolutely not. But I do listen to music from that era (early '70's). Horizons broaden considerably over time if you grew up in Iowa.

 

[AgronAlum]

Hell yeah. I listen to 90's/early 2000s music all the time.

 

[VeloClone]

I had high school in the early '80s and college late '80s and I listen mostly to music from the '60s through the '90s.

 

[Gunnerclone]

I have my favorites that pop in to my head now and then and I’ll go back and have a listen. Sadly they aren’t always as good as I remember. Did that with “The Bends” by Radiohead not too long ago. It just doesn’t hold up that well. Also did it with Anema by Tool recently and that **** holds up like the Hoover Dam.

The joy of music for me has always been finding something new. Doesn’t mean it has to be the most recent, just something new to me.

 

[Gonzo]

I was still figuring things out music-wise in HS, but I definitely still listen to many of the bands I listened to during college in the early 90s... The Replacements, The Smiths, Pavement, REM, etc.

 

[Clonefan94]

Not exclusively, but yeah, kind of. I went to High School in the mid 80s. I wasn't a fan of hair metal or much of the 80s pop, but still listened to a lot of that era. I had an uncle who was only 8 years older than me, so while at my grandparent's house as a young kid I was exposed to his music. A lot of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and other 70s Rock. That was still my staple in high school. When I got into College the 90s music really appealed to me, especially when Radiohead hit. My two most listened to bands are still Pink Floyd and Radiohead.

I had a great streak going of seeing Radiohead every time they were in the Chicago area. That ended when they headlined Lollapalooza. I had already seen them outdoors at Hutchinson Fields and just wasn't in the mood to do a festival to see them. I saw them at Metro twice, The Riviera and The Auditorium theater (That one turned me on to the Black Keys as they opened that show), so as they got to bigger venues, I wasn't as excited to go.

Anyway, yeah, I sitll listen to a lot of music from back in the day, but I still look for new music that doesn't fit the "Pop Music" mold and listen to that too.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

If I were to break down decades of music since the 60s, the 80s probably gets the least amount of play time for me. That's not to **** on the decade entirely. I can find music in any decade that I like, but the hair band music of the 80s is really really low on my playlist. I didn't really enjoy high school, so there is definitely some negative association going on for me.

The one thing that drives me nuts is hearing people around my age ******** about "new music" not being "like it used to be". That's such a lazy take. We have access to so much more music now, and there are new artists that sound like they are ripped from various decades. If you long for a certain sound from your youth, you just need to look a little harder, but I guarantee you can stumble on something new that triggers the nostalgia you crave.

 

[pourcyne]

Oh, hell yes, I was hip-hop-happenin' in the 70's. Even more so than now.



The difference is that digital allows me to hear all the lyrics and instruments that AM-radio did not.

Top 200 '70s Songs

Ultimate Classic Rock counts down the Top 200 '70s Songs

ultimateclassicrock.com

 

[cyclones500]

None of the poll choices describe it specifically for me, so I haven't voted (yet) - nothing against the options in general. Closest for me probably option 3 or 4.

Without getting into my entire music-listening history/passion, similar to others, I probably have more "neural nostalgia" for music I encountered in college and early adulthood (and some after that point, more sporadically). Music specific to HS years isn't dominant.

 

[FriendlySpartan]

I saw an article from Slate.com that got bumped recently that discussed "Musical nostalgia". A lot of people my age listen to oldies music exclusively and it gets tiring to me. Whenever we have a bonfire or are in the car together, they play only play music from their youth. To me, it's ok, but I prefer newer music that I haven't heard so many times over and over.

Turns out that there is science confirming that it is a effect they are calling "Neural Nostalgia".

"In recent years, psychologists and neuroscientists have confirmed that these songs hold disproportionate power over our emotions. And researchers have uncovered evidence that suggests our brains bind us to the music we heard as teenagers more tightly than anything we’ll hear as adults—a connection that doesn’t weaken as we age. Musical nostalgia, in other words, isn’t just a cultural phenomenon: It’s a neuronic command. And no matter how sophisticated our tastes might otherwise grow to be, our brains may stay jammed on those songs we obsessed over during the high drama of adolescence."

What you all think about this?

https://slate.com/technology/2014/0...ong-preference-and-the-reminiscence-bump.html

This article is 10 years old but there have been some fascinating studies talking about using music from your childhood for therapy and for dementia patients. It’s a truly incredible connection

 

[BWRhasnoAC]

This article is 10 years old but there have been some fascinating studies talking about using music from your childhood for therapy and for dementia patients. It’s a truly incredible connection

When I listen to the music from my childhood I always remember what I would be doing while listening to it. Lots of Nintendo 64 comes flowing back for me.

 

[Cyclonepride]

This article is 10 years old but there have been some fascinating studies talking about using music from your childhood for therapy and for dementia patients. It’s a truly incredible connection

Definitely. There are certain songs that act like a freaking time machine and take you back to a moment or a brief era in time.

 

[Cyrealist]

I was in high school in the (early) 70s so what's now called classic rock dominated. BUT my music listening was almost all on AM radio, so I didn't appreciate the full dimensions of the music. I still like classic rock but I think the 60s were the pinnacle. As I've gotten older, I've gained appreciation for more genres and eras of music all the way from Jimmie Rogers and Robert Johnson to the Americana music of today

 

[Althetuna]

I have what I would consider a go to set of bands from different eras. They get different amounts of playing time. I'll burn out on a specific band for a while only to come back to them later.

In addition, I'm always looking for that new song/band to give me that initial rush you get from hearing a great tune for the first time.

 

[Sigmapolis]

I don't have a spot in the poll.

Music while I was in high school (class of 2005) was generally bad and I knew it at the time.

I listened to (mostly) older stuff then and now.

The early 2000s decade was a particularly weak time in the history of popular music.

I'd rather go forward but mostly rather go backward.

 

[CloniesForLife]

I listened to a lot of heavy rock in high school and college. Still like to listen to that when I work out but my musical taste for general listening is a lot different now.

 

[madguy30]

No but I listened to stupid 'nu metal' or whatever they called it in high school and only listen when I'm traveling through Eastern Iowa on Rock 108 just because it's funny that it's still being played.

Still listen to stuff from my mid-late 20s which was my peak music phase for listening and going live.