Leila Alabed Week 15: Melodic Memories
The melodies of our favorite songs have the ability to transport us into the past thanks to nostalgia, as we recall back to a time where that song was most present in our lives, as well as language which impacts us.
Our brains tend to cling to specific sights and sounds that have sparked emotional feelings due to them being ‘marked’ as important; thus having them be saved for later, in a sense. Additionally, it is rare for us to hear a song once, which is why repeatedly listening to a song also contributes to the likeliness of our brains remembering it.
Lyrics and melodies activate parts of our brain more often that typical speech, which further cements it into our memory. This explains why we can recall the lyrics to songs from our childhood with great clarity and ease.
So, anytime you hear a song and are transported to your early childhood, know that your brain is resurfacing memories that were created due to your past emotions and experiences. Essentially, your brain is holding on to language and melodies that it deemed important enough to be remembered. Nostalgia is bittersweet, however it reminds us of our past experiences and returns us to our core values.
Hello, Leila! I often recall feeling that same nostalgia whenever an old favorite song of mine just happens to pop up on the radio or from one of my old and not updated playlists. Oftentimes, whenever I hear a song I used to be obsessed with, I am often overcome by a wave of emotions of whatever it was I had associated with the song. Yet, it never once occurred to me that the emotions that I tie to certain old favorite songs were just due to the memories I associated with them. Yet looking back, I can see how doing certain tasks or feeling a certain way while that song was playing could affect how I feel about it when I reminisce over it or even rediscover it today. I completely agree that music, no matter how you consume it, often leaves a lasting impression, one that transforms into nostalgia tied to our past experiences, the older it gets.
ReplyDeleteHey Leila! When reading about your blog, I can’t help but resonate heavily with your message. I think it's particularly accurate that our brains cling to specific experiences with emotions and those emotions can be associated with the emotions we feel in songs. Songs from when I was younger always bring back nostalgia when I listen to it now because it just takes me back to a time when I was so carefree and mindlessly happy. Even now, I associate songs to seasons with the sadder, ballad-like songs for winter and the more upbeat songs for summer. Whether nostalgia or associations, listening to music that really sets the mood and adds to the vibes is something that motivates me and gets me excited for what is to come. Moreover, when you wrote that we tend to like songs the more we hear it, it reminded me of a concept I learned in my AP Psychology class about the mere exposure effect. The term refers to how people tend to like things the more they are exposed to things whether it be music or even people. Overall, I think your blog was an interesting and insightful read!
ReplyDeleteHi Leila! When I was reading you blog, I could see that it also relates to what I wrote my blog about and I found it really interesting to see a different point of view of how nostalgia impact our lives through music. It was interesting to see that remembering stuff comes from emotions and it also relates to how I said in my blog about how it triggers different parts of your brain to remember stuff you had forgotten previously. I've also seen this in my personal life where I listen to songs from my childhood and remember good memories I had when listening to those songs especially in the summer time. It was interesting to read about a different point of view about how songs trigger nostalgia and It was really cool to read your blog!
ReplyDeleteHi Leila! Your blog has a really interesting premise that I think is often applicable in daily life. I often receive advice to give a rhythm and other elements of a song to things that I wish to memorize, like sentences and paragraphs. Also, there are numerous songs and melodies that are used widely to memorize stuff like digits of pi or the quadratic formula and more. I feel like using melody is definitely a skill that we can implement in real life applications. Also, recently I have started listening to more songs too, and it's remarkable (and annoying) that songs are able to stick so well in one's mind. I've always wondered why these strategies worked so well, and it was interesting reading your explanation for why these things work the way they do.
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