Music and memory
Have you ever been driving along or sitting and listening to the radio when a song plays that makes you smile or transports you to another place or time? Music and memory have been proven to be tied together through many studies. There was one particular study conducted in the United Kingdom at a senior memory care center. Music was played for the residents and the specific music played was based on the approximate time period of their collective youth (teens to mid-twenties). What the researchers found was that almost all of the residents interacted with the music in various ways and residents recited lyrics clearly. Another key finding of the study was the verbal and nonverbal interactions that were increased when the music was played. The human brain is incredible and there is much we still do not know about how it functions. It’s funny, I can remember all the words to a song from over fifty years ago, but forget why I came into a particular room!
For today’s post, I’m creating a list of songs that hold special memories for me. What songs transport you or make you laugh and smile? I’d love to hear from you and compare lists.
My Top 25 songs that hold great memories in no particular order (it was hard to keep it at 25!)
How many songs on my list were on yours? Creating this list was quite fun; it brought back great memories and put a huge smile on my face. I hope you smiled and laughed while you created yours.
A thought for you on the relationship between music and memory.
“… Music has a unique ability to convey memory. Both song texts and tunes can remind us of people, places, and events, accessing an ancient ‘hard drive’ of historical memory.”
~Marion Jacobson
Cheers to the storyteller in all of us!