How Music Can Awaken Our Memories – and Even Reshape Them
Listening to Happy Music Can Add a Positive Tone to Memory Recall
With the holiday season upon us, many people will be listening to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas is You” or “Last Christmas” by Wham!. These songs don’t just put us in a festive mood – they may also awaken deeply buried memories.
Music Can Rewrite Our Memories
Now US research, published in the journal Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, claims that music can even rewrite them.
The Power of Music on Memory
The field of neuroscience is increasingly interested in music, as it mobilises a multitude of cognitive, perceptual, motor and emotional functions. When we listen to music, the hippocampus – the seat of memory – and the amygdala – the heart of emotions – work in concert. This powerful tandem explains why certain melodies leave such a deep emotional imprint on our minds.
A Study on Music and Memory
A research team from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Colorado Boulder wondered whether music might not only revive memories, but also modify their emotional content. To test their hypothesis, they devised a three-day experiment.
The Experiment
First, they asked several participants to memorise short, emotionally neutral stories. The following day, the volunteers were asked to recall these stories under various conditions: listening to happy music, sad music, or in silence. During this stage, the scientists used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to visualise the participants’ brain activity.
The Results
On the third day, the volunteers were asked to recall the memorised stories, but without any background music.
The results were surprising. When participants recalled neutral stories while listening to emotionally charged music, they unconsciously added details reflecting the mood of the piece. As a result, the stories they recalled while listening to happy music were perceived as more positive than they originally were.
Could Music Change the Way We Experience Memories?
Conversely, those recalled with melancholy music seemed sadder in their memories. “Music acts as an emotional lure, becoming intertwined with memories and subtly altering their emotional tone,” study co-author Yiren Ren said in an article for The Conversation.
The Science Behind Music and Memory
Brain scans taken during the experiment attest to the fascinating power of music: listening to music strongly stimulates the hippocampus and amygdala, demonstrating just how intimately memory and emotion are linked.
Implications for Mental Health
This discovery could revolutionise the way we approach mental health. The right musical selection could, for example, enable people with depression or post-traumatic stress to revisit painful memories with a more positive tone.
FAQs
* Can music really change the way we experience memories?
+ Yes, according to research, music can awaken and even reshape our memories.
* Can music be used to help people with mental health issues?
+ Yes, the right musical selection could potentially enable people with depression or post-traumatic stress to revisit painful memories with a more positive tone.
* How does music affect our brains?
+ Music strongly stimulates the hippocampus and amygdala, demonstrating the intimate link between memory and emotion.