Music has more power to reconnect us with our past than food
Music triggers more autobiographical memories in everyday life than food in both older and younger adults, a new study reveals.
03 March 2023
The UK research, published in the British Journal of Psychology, also found that across both age ranges, music summoned a greater amount of involuntary memories, and memories more directly related to one's personal life story than food.
This was the case even though study participants were exposed to music and food for roughly the same amount of time each day.
Lead researcher Dr Kelly Jakubowski, Assistant Professor in Music Psychology at Durham University, said:
"These findings provide notable evidence for the 'power of music' as an everyday memory cue, especially given the popular belief that smells and tastes are particularly effective for invoking involuntary memories, as in Marcel Proust's madeleine anecdote in In Search of Lost Time.
"The findings highlight potential benefits of everyday music listening, since reconnecting with memories that are important to our life story can enhance our wellbeing."
Dr Jakubowski added that the absence of any differences between the two age groups in the number and involuntary nature of the memories evoked was notable.
"This suggests music continues to be a salient memory cue throughout our lifetimes, despite the decline in some aspects of memory function that inevitably accompany healthy ageing."
A total of 78 adults aged between 18-35 and 60-80, from the UK and US, took part in the research, believed to be the first to compare music-evoked autobiographical memories (MEAMs) and food-evoked autobiographical memories (FEAMs) in everyday life.
Researchers believe the findings provide new insights into how and why music may be a more effective trigger for personally valued memories than certain other everyday cues.
During the study, participants used a diary system to record MEAMs and FEAMs separately over four days, including details about the length of exposure to food and music each day, what particular food or music triggered memories and how the memories made them feel.
A total of 553 MEAMs and 415 FEAMs were analysed. The study found that the primary activity during which FEAMs occurred was eating or preparing a meal, while MEAMs occurred in a more diverse range of situations, most notably: studying/working, cleaning/chores, and driving/travelling.
The study says music evokes more frequent involuntary autobiographical memories even though MEAMs do not necessarily involve memories of listening to the same piece of music.
This suggests music may be particularly effective as a cue because it can evoke autobiographical memories via a diverse range of routes. For example, the lyrics of a song may remind someone of a similar situation from one's life, even if the song was not heard during the original event.
Future research could expand the global reach of the participant pool, to explore whether cultures that utilise music and food in different ways might show different patterns of results, the study states.