Statistics show, and you know this intuitively, that the music we listened to in our early teen years will be our favorite music through our lifetime. Sometime around age 30, we quit seeking out new music, and settle into a preference for the familiar songs we already know. Reasons given for this include too many choices and too little time. That sounds rather simplistic, but it makes sense from the perspective of busy people taking a poll. Younger people are students with more free time on their hands than adults who are working or caring for children. I recall when I was a kid, music was everywhere I went. If the radio wasn't on, it was because a friend insisted I turn it off to listen to this new album. You didn't have to put in effort seek out new music at all.
I was exposed to new songs throughout my 20s, 30s, and 40s because it was my job. I judged and memorized plenty of new music all the way to middle age, and liked a lot of it. But still, those songs I know from my thirties are not associated with particularly vivid memories like the music of my pre-teen and teenage years. Maybe the intense emotions of that stage of life are coded with those songs. I still like new songs, just not quite as many in my old age because the playlist in my head is pretty crowded. If you are afraid of "getting stuck in your ways" as you age as far as music goes, you are not alone. People who want to find new and varied music will find a way, but those songs won't replace the ones you loved as a kid. Read the research on what has been termed "music paralysis" at Stat Significant. -via Metafilter
(Image credit: YouGov)
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