Now, a new study suggests that -- while our engagement with it may
decline -- music stays important to us as we get older, but the music we
like adapts to the particular 'life challenges' we face at different
stages of our lives.
It would seem that, unless you die before you get old, your taste in
music will probably change to meet social and psychological needs.
One theory put forward by researchers, based on the study, is that we
come to music to experiment with identity and define ourselves, and
then use it as a social vehicle to establish our group and find a mate,
and later as a more solitary expression of our intellect, status and
greater emotional understanding.
Researchers say the study is the first to "comprehensively document"
the ways people engage with music "from adolescence to middle age." The
study is published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Using data gathered from more than a quarter of a million people over
a ten year period, researchers divided musical genres into five broad,
"empirically derived" categories they call the MUSIC model -- mellow,
unpretentious, sophisticated, intense, contemporary -- and plotted the
patterns of preference across age-groups.
These five categories incorporate multiple genres that share common
musical and psychological traits -- such as loudness and complexity.
"The project started with a common conception that musical taste does
not evolve after young adulthood. Most academic research to date
supported this claim, but -- based on other areas of psychological
research and our own experiences -- we were not convinced this was the
case," said Arielle Bonneville-Roussy from Cambridge's Department of
Psychology, who led the study.
The study found that, unsurprisingly, the first great musical age is
adolescence -- defined by a short, sharp burst of 'intense' and the
start of a steady climb of 'contemporary'. 'Intense' music -- such as
punk and metal -- peaks in adolescence and declines in early adulthood,
while 'contemporary' music -- such as pop and rap -- begins a rise that
plateaus until early middle age.
"Teenage years are often dominated by the need to establish identity,
and music is a cheap, effective way to do this," said Dr Jason
Rentfrow, senior researcher on the study.
"Adolescents' quest for independence often takes the shape of a
juxtaposed stance to the perceived 'status quo', that of parents and the
establishment. 'Intense' music, seen as aggressive, tense and
characterised by loud, distorted sounds has the rebellious connotations
that allow adolescents to stake a claim for the autonomy that is one of
this period's key 'life challenges'."
As 'intense' gives way to the rising tide of 'contemporary' and
introduction of 'mellow' -- such as electronic and R & B -- in early
adulthood, the next musical age emerges. These two "preference
dimensions" are considered "romantic, emotionally positive and
danceable," write the researchers.
"Once people overcome the need for autonomy, the next 'life
challenge' concerns finding love and being loved -- people who
appreciate this 'you' that has emerged," said Rentfrow.
"What we took away from the results is that these forms of music
reinforce the desire for intimacy and complement settings where people
come together with the goal of establishing close relationships --
parties, bars, clubs and so on.
"Whereas the first musical age is about asserting independence, the
next appears to be more about gaining acceptance from others."
As we settle down and middle age begins to creep in, the last musical
age, as identified by the researchers, is dominated by 'sophisticated'
-- such as jazz and classical -- and 'unpretentious' -- such as country,
folk and blues.
Researchers write that both these dimensions are seen as "positive
and relaxing" -- with 'sophisticated' indicating the complex aesthetic
of high culture that could be linked to social status and perceived
intellect, while 'unpretentious' echoes sentiments of family, love and
loss -- emotionally direct music that speaks to the experiences most
will have had by this life stage.
"As we settle into ourselves and acquire more resources to express
ourselves -- career, home, family, car -- music remains an extension of
this, and at this stage there are aspects of wanting to promote social
status, intellect and wealth that play into the increased gravitation
towards 'sophisticated' music," said Rentfrow, "as social standing is
seen as a key 'life challenge' to be achieved by this point."
"At the same time, for many this life stage is frequently exhausted
by work and family, and there is a requirement for relaxing, emotive
music for those rare down times that reflects the other major 'life
challenge' of this stage -- that of nurturing a family and maintaining
long-term relationships, perhaps the hardest of all."
Adds Bonneville-Roussy: "Due to our very large sample size, gathered
from online forms and social media channels, we were able to find very
robust age trends in musical taste. I find it fascinating to see how
seemingly trivial behaviour such as music listening relates to so many
psychological aspects, such as personality and age."
