Take a trip down memory lane with me. In 2012, computer shops’ YouTube search histories were clogged with “Call Me Maybe” and “Payphone” lyrics. Fast forward to 2016, and everybody was dubbing “Closer” and “Love Yourself” while wearing Snapchat’s flower crown filter. By 2020, “Blinding Lights” and “Don’t Start Now” were taking TikTok trends by storm during isolation. And presently, in 2024, Spotify seems to autoplay “Espresso” and “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” like a broken record. Time flies, and it is becoming tougher to describe these years distinctly as we get older. However, if a person asked you to picture the timeframes through one representation, would it be easier to tell what year it is through the applications or the songs mentioned above? Arguably, music has been an integral part of identifying and shaping major and minor memories. It brings both nostalgic and new triggers as they exist in our past and present experiences, respectively.

Whether as a collective or personal experience, each of us develops a song-memory association. This leads to a psychological phenomenon called Music-Evoked Autobiographical Memories (MEAMs). It happens when any form of sound, specifically songs, prompts memories. A person may recall previous events, places, dates, or another person just by hearing the music. This occurrence is possible because our minds associate music with any memory we have at that time.

Though we may not hear this term day-to-day, it is undeniable that it is natural for humans to experience it. The study “Music-Evoked Autobiographical Memories in Everyday Life” found that MEAMs usually occur at least once daily (Jakubowski & Ghosh, 2019). For instance, some people may unlock previous memories while doing daily chores like driving or cooking, with something playing in the background. It stimulates a sensation as if they were time-traveling in their consciousness.

Not only that, but an individualized set of songs can also benefit a person, helping them recollect details they have already forgotten or wish they still remembered. The study “Music Intervention Approaches for Alzheimer’s Disease: A Review of the Literature” concluded that music chosen by the listener can have positive effects, either putting the mind in a relaxed or uplifted state (Leggieri et al., 2019). In this scenario, this is a tremendous help to people facing cognitive challenges.

Aside from MEAMs, music can elicit human thoughts and emotions without making it complex. It is cathartic as you just take what resonates with you and your story. Sometimes, when it turns too tiring to be told and too hard to be heard, music expresses what words and actions cannot. From the study discussion of “The Psychological Functions of Music Listening,” it was revealed that people selectively listen to music for mood regulation, self-awareness fulfillment, and a sense of social connection (Schäfer et al., 2013). Thus, most people in their twenties often use music for practical purposes.

When we listen to music, it makes us feel that we own our lives, as if we have our personal soundtrack that reverberates and relates to our unique past and present episodes. With lyrics or not, it speaks volumes, either in parts of silence or in its deafening capacity. All this is to say that music is more than just a medium of entertainment; it is an ideal match when we undergo mental, emotional, and social encounters. Dare I say, listening to music is an experience you should never miss.

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