Remembering creates meaning.1
We expect pleasing haromines,
not j o
a s n
r s a
r i n
i g d c
n e …2
But it’s not just about the good.
Music can provoke other feelings, too,
such as
anxiety
boredom
or even ANGER. 2
Composers and producers walk a delicate tightrope, needing to tweak expectations to just the right degree. 2
Correct beats and measures?
Good note placement and chords?
What type of genre are we looking for?
And so on.
But it’s not the whole story. 2
Connectivity will replace repetition. 1
What seems like “nostalgia”
might just be a form of
low-grade experience
that amplifies the value
of the listening event. 1
Because that seems to
make the most sense. 1
Music evolved as a social glue for the species.
But it’s growing more and more important to create one’s own cocoon of sound. 3
How could that be the case
When listening to music
HURTS
our ability
to recall other stimuli? 3
And any pop song
REDUCES
overall performance
for both extraverts and introverts? 3
Is it because what
music steals
in acute concentration,
it returns to us
in the form of good vibes? 3
Science says we’re full of it. 3
In a wreck of people
and activity
Two plastic pieces connected by a wire create an
aura
of
privacy. 3
A small, invisible fence around our minds. 3
And a shield is created.
That’s the triumph of headphones,
for they make their own rules of etiquette. 3
Although music evolved as social glue for the species,
headphones allow music to be enjoyed friendlessly. 3
An oasis of privacy
in a public space. 3
1 Klosterman, Chuck. “Nostalgia on Repeat.” ” Nostalgia on Repeat, 6 Oct. 2011, http://grantland.com/features/nostalgia-repeat/?print=1.
2 Ball, Philip. “Will We Ever… Understand Why Music Makes Us Feel Good?” BBC Future, BBC, 18 Apr. 2018, https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20130418-why-does-music-make-us-feel-good.
3 Thompson, Derek. “How Headphones Changed the World.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 30 May 2012, https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/05/how-headphones-changed-the-world/257830/.